True Love for Our Neighbors
Southeast Christian Church Galatians 6:2-4 tells us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.”
Some people think that burden-bearing for others is beneath them. They think it's too messy, or it’s too time consuming. Their pride prevents them from stepping into situations where others need their help. The New Living Translation (NLT) translates verse 3 this way: “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself, you are not that important.”
This should be your life verse as a Christ follower. Paul is speaking against criticism, and he is speaking from the standpoint of how we can have a critical spirit. There is a danger that we can think that we're above stepping into the problems and struggles of other people. When someone solely looks out for their own benefit and criticizes others, they do so at the expense of those that are around them, and the entire community suffers for it. The enemy would love nothing more than for us to think we are too busy to humble ourselves and be the hands and feet of Jesus to people in our path. After all, when Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins, he was the ultimate example of taking on the burdens of others. He took on the weight of your sin when he went to the cross, even though it was at the highest cost to him.
Discussion/Reflection Question: When has your pride prevented you from helping to carry the burden of someone else?
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