Bearing One Another’s Burdens and Carrying Our Own Load - Troy Postlethwait

We have been justified by faith in Christ, and as a result, we have received many wonderful blessings. We have freedom from the bondage of the old law, and we have the privilege of walking in the Spirit and producing the fruit of the Spirit. But with those blessings also come responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is that we are to bear one another’s burdens. There are times when each of us will struggle. There are times when someone may be overtaken in sin or weighed down by difficulties. When that happens, those who are spiritually strong should help restore that person with gentleness. If you are walking in the Spirit, your life should be producing love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Those qualities prepare you to help someone who is struggling. We are not called to condemn one another. We are called to restore one another in love. Jesus gave us the commandment to love one another. That means we should care about our brothers and sisters enough to help them when they are weak. Those who are strong should bear with the weaknesses of those who are struggling, just as Christ gave us the example by putting the needs of others ahead of Himself. When someone has been overtaken by sin, we should approach that person with gentleness, patience, and humility. We should help them understand what has gone wrong so they can repent, grow stronger, and escape the devil's snare. At the same time, we need to remember that any of us can fall. While you are helping someone else, you must also consider yourself. None of us is beyond temptation. Satan is working to cause Christians to stumble, and that is why we need one another. We need to be willing to pick each other up when we fall. To bear one another’s burdens, we also need to know one another. That is one reason it is so important for us to assemble together whenever possible. When we worship and fellowship together, we become better acquainted with one another. We are more likely to recognize when a brother or sister is hurting, discouraged, or spiritually struggling. Hebrews tells us to consider one another and stir one another up to love and good works. When we gather together, we have opportunities to encourage and strengthen one another. But Paul also teaches us that while we should bear one another’s burdens, each of us must also bear our own load. We have personal responsibilities that no one else can fulfill for us. We should never think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Instead, we need to examine our own lives. Each one of us will someday give an account of ourselves to God. We will not be judged simply because we belonged to a congregation or because other people around us were faithful. You and I will each answer personally for the lives we have lived. That means we need to examine ourselves and ask whether we are truly in the faith. We need to look honestly at our spiritual condition. We should regularly examine our lives, including when we prepare to partake of the Lord’s Supper. We also have a responsibility for our own spiritual growth. We need to study the Bible. We need to attend Bible class and worship whenever possible. We need to learn what the Lord wants us to know, and then be willing to do what He commands. Every member of the body of Christ is needed. You have a part to do, and so do I. We cannot expect others to carry all of the responsibility while we simply remain part of the group. We need to faithfully carry our own load. Christ redeemed us so that we might be zealous for good works. So we need to ask ourselves: Are we willing to do the Lord's work with zeal? Are we willing to bear one another’s burdens because we love one another? And are we willing to carry our own responsibilities because we love the Lord? We also need to ask the most important question: Are you a child of God? To become a child of God, you must hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and believe it. You must recognize that your life needs to be brought into harmony with God’s will. You must repent, which means more than simply saying you are sorry; it means changing the direction of your life. You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and you must be baptized in water for the remission of your sins. After that, we must continue to live faithfully. We know that we will sometimes fall short. When we sin, we need to repent and seek God’s forgiveness. If the matter is private, you can go to God privately in prayer. If the sin has been public, there may be a need for public confession. The message for all of us is simple: we need each other, and each of us has responsibilities before God. We should help carry the burdens of our brothers and sisters while also faithfully bearing the load God has given each of us.