Unity and Burdens

Eph 2:11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh – who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands –

:12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

:14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

:15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

:16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone,

:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

When the early church tried to build walls between the Jews and the non-Jews Paul told them through Christ, they were equal in the family of God.

Through His death on the cross, Christ has removed the barriers that so often separate people and has drawn us together in true friendship and love.

Gal 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Bearing each other’s burdens is a big part of life as a Christian.

We all have burdens sometimes. We may not all have the same type of burdens but we all face them at one time or another.

B = brunt

E = empathy

A = afflictions

R = responsibilities

1.       Bear the brunt

Have you ever had a burden so heavy it made you weak in the knees? It’s like that when you are going through a trial, especially at first. You feel the full force at the beginning of the trial. You just want a little weight off your shoulders.

Doing any little thing to help can take the brunt of the impact off of the person. Helping to remove unnecessary weight can ease some of the impact. Act as a shield, soften the blow.

2.       Bear with empathy.

Empathy is understanding how someone feels and when they are going through something they want someone who understands.

Sometimes they just need someone to listen. Sometimes they need a hug or hand to hold.

Someone to tell them things will get better. When people are hurting, they just want to know someone is there and that they care.

3.       Bear up afflictions.

Afflictions are things that hurt to go through. People are vulnerable when they are hurting and their defenses are down. They need lifting up. Pray for them. Lift them up to the Lord. Encourage them.

4.       Bear the responsibilities.

When you are the person hurting, you aren’t in a vacuum. Life goes on. You are in a slow pace mode but everything else is moving as normal.

Some things can slide. Others can’t. what can you do to help?

Learn from Pooh and Piglet:

“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,” said Pooh.

“There there , “ said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.”