Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today we will seek instruction from Holy Spirit regarding God’s expectation for us to share one another’s burdens.

Galatians 6:1‭-‬5 (NLT) exhorts…
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Consider…
Yesterday we looked at switching from carrying our own burden to live righteous for God, to sharing that heavy load with Jesus. We learned that yoking ourselves to Jesus makes our burden for righteous living light. That’s because Jesus did all the heavy lifting, as explained in 1 Corinthians 1:30 (AMP)…
But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin]

Today, we shift our focus to, following the instructions we’ve heard from flight attendants regarding emergency procedures. They tell passengers with children, that in the case of emergency, they should put on their oxygen masks first, before helping others who need assistance.

That seems applicable to us, because Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) reminds us we’re passengers on this earthly flight called life…
This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

But what spiritually constitutes an emergency? Well, our flight attendant the Holy Spirit tells us…
Now we who are strong [in our convictions and faith] ought to [patiently] put up with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not just please ourselves. Let each one of us [make it a practice to] please his neighbor for his good, to build him up spiritually. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written [in Scripture], “The reproaches of those who reproached You (the Father) fell on Me (the Son).” – Romans 15:1‭-‬3 AMP

Therefore, if fellow believers are struggling and burdened with sin then this is an emergency. We know this is true because Romans 5:6 (NLT) says…
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

And Christ is the standard God holds us too…
This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for each other as brothers and sisters. – 1 John 3:16 ERV

The Holy Spirit reminded me, that the goal in an emergency is to help the person in need to emerge from their dire circumstances. It’s like the fireman or police officer who runs into danger to save those in need of help.

Remember our pilot Jesus has told us we will experience turbulence on our flight…
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in Me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 NLT

Jesus’ loving words of encouragement that we just read, are an example of how He wants us to encourage one another. Someone needs to know they can overcome in the same area God has helped you overcome.

He also gave us the following instructions in today’s scripture…
Brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Three things stand out to me from these instructions…

• As godly people, should be gentle and humble when helping others
• We should make sure, our oxygen mask of righteousness in Christ is secure before helping others
• Sharing each other’s burdens of sin, like Christ does for us, is mandatory

The Holy Spirit also wants us to remember what 1 Thessalonians 5:9‭-‬11 (NLT) says…
For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

God wants us to understand that we are all connected in Him. In fact, according to 1 Corinthians 12:12‭-‬13 (NLT),
we are considered His body…
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.

Do you see the contrasts He gives us? We’re not all the same, which also means that we’re also not at the same levels of maturity in our faith or victory over sin. Nonetheless, we still remain a part of His body.

Let’s drop down a few verses and see what God says about the weaker parts of the body…
In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad. All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. – 1 Corinthians 12:22‭-‬27 NLT

Today, the Holy Spirit is instructing us honor and care for the hurting and burdened parts of Christ’s body. He wants us to extend the Tender Love of Christ (TLC) to one another as He instructed us to do in John 13:34‭-‬35 (NLT)…
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Accordingly, when you see that struggling sister, or burdened brother, remember, our Heavenly Father expects us to extend His healing TLC and bring our family back home to Him.

Today’s song is…
I Need You To Survive
https://youtu.be/90Kb2gkmMG4?si=FPwXNxOc8na2ubc6

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)