Dear SCC & Friends,
Bear one another’s burdens… ~Galatians 6:2
Reflection #162
He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose. ~Jim Elliot~ Our faith is not a spectator sport. Bearing one another’s burdens should never be a pretense for using people or resources for personal advantage. Through presumption comes nothing but strife, but with those who receive counsel is wisdom. ~Prov. 13:10 It reminds me of a young man from a Bible study I was leading who unexpectedly showed up at our house. He stood at my door and was holding a huge pile of dirty laundry. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he had come over to wash his clothes at our house. I asked him if my wife knew about this, and he said, “No, I just came over. I just read in Acts how we have all things in common, so your washing machine is my washing machine.” I had to tell him he was missing the point… “It’s not that everything I have is yours or everything you have is mine. It’s that each of us has the ability and opportunity to give freely from the heart.” I would have been glad to help him out, but in this case, he needed to go to the laundromat and let reality settle in…
…And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds… ~Heb. 10:24 It is truth in tension that we bear another’s burden, while taking full responsibility to carry our own load. Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. ~Gal. 6:2 For each of us shall bear his own load. ~Gal. 6:5 Scripture admonishes “freeloaders” and those who twist truth to serve their own needs… The leech has two daughters, “Give,” “Give.”… ~Prov. 30:15 A leech is a person who clings to another person for personal gain, especially without giving anything in return. Leeches are never satisfied and always want more. In fact, a leech will literally suck the life blood out of a host. We are to go a different way. …not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ~Phil. 2:4 We can do this by God’s grace… Think of these two powerful parts: Lean on God in every situation and love others unselfishly as you possibly can. ~C.S. Lewis~ Keep up the good work!
Made for these days,
Kevin