This message really hit home for me... He started off by stating the basic... We need to look up, we need to look in and in doing this it should then result in us looking out. We need to focus on our relationship with Jesus Christ, in doing that we should apply His Word to our lives which should then result in us reaching out to others and sharing His love. One way we can do this is by bearing each others burdens...
Elder John gave some examples of this in John 13:34, Romans 13:8, Romans 13:10 and Galatians 5:14 - which to sum up these verses speak about us loving others... as He loves us we are to love one another. And in loving one another - one thing we need to be doing is bearing each other's burdens.The law of Christ is the law of love, which fulfills all the rest of God’s law. When we love Christ, we submit to Him and tend His sheep (care)
Even though I for one have been burdened with many things - I decided to look up what it meant.
The dictionary offers several definitions: something that is carried - load, duty/responsibility, something oppressive or worrisome, the bearing of a load/capacity for carrying cargo.
Okay so I am going to assume that this means a responsibility, something oppressive or worrisome. Now who doesn't have burdens? It would be hard to think that everyone is just walking around not worrying about anything. There are PLENTY of things to worry about... health, work, children, finances, home, marriage, relationships and the list can go on and on. We we find ourselves so weighted down that it requires us to be humble and transparent in admitting our lack of self sufficiency and our dependence upon Christ and each other.
Okay so I am going to assume that this means a responsibility, something oppressive or worrisome. Now who doesn't have burdens? It would be hard to think that everyone is just walking around not worrying about anything. There are PLENTY of things to worry about... health, work, children, finances, home, marriage, relationships and the list can go on and on. We we find ourselves so weighted down that it requires us to be humble and transparent in admitting our lack of self sufficiency and our dependence upon Christ and each other.
So we all have them - now the important part is what we do with our own burdens and that of others. Elder John gave three points regarding Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ:
Since he is a math teacher many times he will give us examples that are geared towards math. He stated that in some math equations there is always a given which is his first point - A Given: You can't bear one another's burden - if you are the burden or the source of the burden. Ouch. That was a painful one. No one wants to think of themselves as being a burden or even a source of a burden, especially to those they love. But its a reality... it is easy to be the burden or the source of it - but doing so we are then standing in the way of what God is trying to do.
He used Proverbs 6:16 which states "There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers." The one that he focused on was: and one who sows discord among brothers. This is not just pertaining to brothers in the church but also in the home. Are we doing what we can do bear the burden and not be the burden? Are there any burdens we are contributing to?
2. Desire to bear a burden. Huh - what are you talking about? Are you serious? I have enough burdens of my own and now I should desire to bear one?? We can't control which burdens we bear. God determines these things... but we should strive to be in a position to do so if God honors us with that. Wow this one struck me also... it is an honor to be used by God - and we should not think about bearing a burden as the world defines it - but remembering that God Himself, is the believer’s ultimate source of strength, and on Him we are called to cast our burdens (Ps 55:22) and our cares (I Peter 5:7), but He often uses fellow believers as His agents to help carry the burdens of His children.
Since he is a math teacher many times he will give us examples that are geared towards math. He stated that in some math equations there is always a given which is his first point - A Given: You can't bear one another's burden - if you are the burden or the source of the burden. Ouch. That was a painful one. No one wants to think of themselves as being a burden or even a source of a burden, especially to those they love. But its a reality... it is easy to be the burden or the source of it - but doing so we are then standing in the way of what God is trying to do.
He used Proverbs 6:16 which states "There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers." The one that he focused on was: and one who sows discord among brothers. This is not just pertaining to brothers in the church but also in the home. Are we doing what we can do bear the burden and not be the burden? Are there any burdens we are contributing to?
2. Desire to bear a burden. Huh - what are you talking about? Are you serious? I have enough burdens of my own and now I should desire to bear one?? We can't control which burdens we bear. God determines these things... but we should strive to be in a position to do so if God honors us with that. Wow this one struck me also... it is an honor to be used by God - and we should not think about bearing a burden as the world defines it - but remembering that God Himself, is the believer’s ultimate source of strength, and on Him we are called to cast our burdens (Ps 55:22) and our cares (I Peter 5:7), but He often uses fellow believers as His agents to help carry the burdens of His children.
An example of this is: 2 Corinthians 7:5-7, “For indeed, when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.”
Praise God if the way we live our life, in how we handle our burdens, blesses others with their own burdens... I guess that in a nutshell = actions speak louder than words. Philippians 1:12 - "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel," Who knows how our life, our testimony is speaking to another.
3. Lastly... We have to share the burdens. We need to communicate each other any burden that we might be experiencing... Remember: James 5:16 It is not spirituality but pride that makes a person want to “go it alone.” We are to be God's hands and feet. God may want to bless through someone.
Praise God if the way we live our life, in how we handle our burdens, blesses others with their own burdens... I guess that in a nutshell = actions speak louder than words. Philippians 1:12 - "I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel," Who knows how our life, our testimony is speaking to another.
3. Lastly... We have to share the burdens. We need to communicate each other any burden that we might be experiencing... Remember: James 5:16 It is not spirituality but pride that makes a person want to “go it alone.” We are to be God's hands and feet. God may want to bless through someone.
We need to examine our lives... am I being a burden to someone? How am I helping someone with their burdens? How are we encouraging those around us? Going back to the beginning - we need to be looking up, and we need to be looking in and we need to be reaching out... there should be no hesitating... we need to be doing these things so we can love others as we have been called to do.
