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

Today, let’s fortify load-bearing relationships.

In today’s scripture, Galatians 6:1-2 (NLT), we’re exhorted…
[1] 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. [2] Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Consider…
Many of us are familiar with Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Allow me to highlight three verses that exemplify today’s scripture. Jesus said in Luke 10:33-35 (NLT)…
[33] “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. [34] Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. [35] The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

The fact that it was a Samaritan instead of the pastor or the ministry worker that helped the hurting Jewish person is significant. That’s because Samaritan’s were considered enemies by the Jews.

Recall yesterday I wrote that Jesus requires us to love our enemies. Well the Good Samaritan parable gives us a visual of what that looks like. So if you see a fallen enemy, remember Jesus’ parable and lend a helping hand.

That’s what Christ did for us sinners, which made us God’s enemies. Romans 5:6-8 (NLT) testifies…
[6] When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. [7] Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. [8] But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

Just like the Good Samaritan saw a person in need and helped, Jesus helped us when we were helpless. This tells us God fully expects us to help our enemies.

As I read the three verses about the Good Samaritan helping, I notice he did more than just offer to help, he saw the comprehensive need and tended to all of it. He didn’t ask for permission, he just acted with compassion. I encourage you to courageously show compassion when you see someone hurting.

The reason I say courageously act is because in Jesus’ story we were told the Jewish man was attacked by some criminals (Luke 10:30). That means the bad guys were possibly still lurking when the Samaritan helped. Helping others requires courage. We can expose ourselves to the same dangers that the person we’re helping just experienced. That’s why today’s scripture tells us to be careful when helping get a fallen believer back on track, because the same temptation that ensnared them can cause us to stumble too.

Still, notice today’s passage doesn’t tell us to stay away from the fallen person, but instead to steady ourselves before helping them up. That simply means we need be grounded in the Holy Spirit before reconnecting the disconnected. This makes me think of giving a jump to someone with a dead car battery. You ground the cables before connecting the power. We’re simply the cables drawing and sharing power from God to someone who is in a powerless state. But we must first be grounded and then allow the Holy Spirit’s power to flow through us.

Another way we can bear one another’s burdens is by empathizing. Romans 12:15-16 (NLT) exhorts us to…
[15] Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. [16] Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

This makes me think of Jesus, who according to Hebrews 4:15 (NLT) empathized with us. It says…
[15] This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

Part of Jesus’ helping hand was taking time to understand the challenges of us fallen humans. This shows me that God wants us to take time to care before we rush to share.

Lastly, the Holy Spirit is telling me that load bearing requires us to prioritize other’s over ourselves. The Holy Spirit directed me to Philippians 2:3-8 (NLT) which says…
[3] Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. [4] Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. [5] You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. [6] Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. [7] Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, [8] he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

When I think about the cross, I think of a load-bearing wall. According to Wikipedia, a load-bearing wall or bearing wall is a wall that is an active structural element of a building, which holds the weight of the elements above it, by conducting its weight to a foundation structure below it.

The cross held our Savior who bore the weight of our sin! And Jesus said that anyone who follows Him must take up their cross, which I believe may include bearing another’s burdens.

Paul admonishes us to be like Christ and humbly give ourselves for others. This makes me think of a mother with a baby…

• She sacrifices her body for the baby to safely grow and enter the world
• Then she sacrifices her comfort to ensure the newborn is tended to and comfortable
• Next she sacrifices her time and treasures so that her child feels loved and treasured
• She also sacrifices her rights and privileges as an adult for her child’s benefit.
• Lastly she sacrifices everything to help her child become something special

As I listed that handful of examples, I realized that like Jesus and a loving mother, bearing another’s burdens requires sacrifice and enduring the worst for their best.

So today, as you think about your relationships, make sure that like Jesus you are a Holy Spirit fortified load-bearer and heavy-load sharer.

Today’s Song is…
When Jesus Lifts The Load

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)