September 26, 2023

Galatians 6: 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (NIV)

There never was a person who did anything worth doing, who did not receive more than he gave.*

What is the “law of Christ?” Could it be the “new command” that he revealed in John 14: 34? “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Is there any better way to demonstrate that we love each other than by performing acts of service? How many times have you set out to bless someone in need and ended up being blessed yourself? Probably every time!

It may surprise you to learn that fulfilling the law of Christ might mean more than helping a brother or sister to shoulder their load. It is a reciprocal activity: in order for one person to receive the blessing that comes from giving, someone else must accept the blessing that comes from receiving. In other words, sometimes we have to let other people help us – whether we need it or not.

Jesus didn’t need anyone’s help, but look at how willing he was to allow others to participate in the giving and receiving of blessing. Could he have fed 5,000 people without taking the lunch offered by a little boy? Could he have quenched his thirst without asking the Samaritan woman to draw water from a well? Could he have prayed alone in the garden without the dubious comfort of his sleepy disciples? Did he have to be buried in a tomb that was borrowed from a friend? “Was Jesus a freeloader?” one writer asks. “Of course not. He just understood that when people help you out, they come to feel like a part of your life and work.”*

According to Paul (in Acts 20: 35), Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Based on the example set by Jesus, it is also blessed to receive. Don’t be afraid to let others help you carry your burdens, be they large or small.

Jesus could have done everything alone, but he chose not to. God calls us to work in community.*