Daily Devotion: Help vs. Talk

Bible Reading:  Galatians 6:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 2 - Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Key Words:  Bear ye one another's burdens

We read in Galatians 6:2, "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  But there seems to be a contradiction between Galatians 6:2 and 6:5 for we are told in Galatians 6:5, "For every man shall bear his own burden."

There really is no contradiction though.  In Galatians 6:2 the word for burden refers to a heavy load, a trial, something difficult to bear.  In verse 5 the word refers to our daily responsibilities.

But there are things beyond our responsibilities that can burden us down, such as illness in the family, or unforeseen accidents, such as our house burning down or the loss of a job or a death in the family.  These tragic events carry us beyond our "daily responsibilities" and reach into the "heavy" burden category of life; things in which our church family should come to our aid.

In Iowa there was a storm that had flooded out a major city.  People were gathering their goods to save what they could.  One of the policemen saw a sight that touched his heart.  He saw a little boy carrying another little boy on his shoulders, all the while still trying to carry goods and luggage and everything else.  The policeman went over to help the boy and said, "My, you're trying to do too much.  You've got all these bags and then you've got that boy on your shoulders.  It's too much weight for you.  It's too heavy."

The little boy looked at the policeman and said, "He ain't heavy, he's my brother."  When you know somebody is your brother, it makes it easier to bear the weight and carry them to safety.

Bearing the burdens of our daily responsibilities is our ethical duty, but aiding those who are burdened by the heavy load of unexpected trails is the church's Christian duty.  Let us do our part in being a "Christian."

What to do:
✞ Religion talks about what to do for others; Christianity does it.  So which are you?

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