Strengthening Weak Arms

Galatians 6:2 "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ."

Exodus 17:8-13 "While the people of Israel were still at Rephidim, the warriors of Amalek attacked them. Moses commanded Joshua, 'Choose some men to go out and fight the army of Amalek for us. Tomorrow, I will stand at the top of the hill, holding the staff of God in my hand.' So Joshua did what Moses had commanded and fought the army of Amalek. Meanwhile, Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a nearby hill. As long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But whenever he dropped his hand, the Amalekites gained the advantage. Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. As a result, Joshua overwhelmed the army of Amalek in battle."

We are all part of one body. The Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 26 "The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad."

Just as Moses needed Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms during the battle to keep the enemy from winning, so we need others to "hold up" our arms and we need to " hold up" others arms when the battles grow wearying. 

1 Thessalonians 5:11 "So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing."

Jude 1:20 "But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,"

Hebrews 3:13 "You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,"so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God."

Hebrews 10:24-25 "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near."

We see here that the scripture admonishes us to work together to encourage one another, build each other up in our faith, and motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 

How do we live this out in our daily lives?  How do we bear each other's burdens?

      1. By praying for each other. It is vital that we belong to a group of believers with whom we can share our needs. It is equally vital that we hold them up in prayer as well. When you are the one facing the giant you need others to hold you up before The Lord in prayer. It is often difficult to pray or even know how to pray when the struggles are great. Knowing that someone else is fighting with us will often be enough to push us through the fight into victory. Knowing we are not alone gives us both hope and courage to keep fighting. 

  

     2. Do something practice to help. Here are some examples:

          a. Offer to babysit for a single mom or a married couple you know who are struggling in their marriage. 

          b. Take a bag of groceries to a family who is struggling financially. 

          c. Weed an elderly neighbor's flower bed. 

          d. Text a friend to see how their day went. 

          e. Leave an encouraging note on a coworkers desk. 

          f. Take a weary friend out to lunch and listen as she shares her struggles. 

         g. Invite a struggling friend to join your Bible study or prayer group and offer to pick her up. 

Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to identify someone whose arms you can strengthen today. As he reveals that individual to you, begin praying for them and then look for a practical way to encourage, build up, or motivate them in their faith. If they are an unbeliever, pray for God to reveal himself to them and to open the door for you to share your faith with them. 

Let us seek ways to strengthen each other's arms today!