True Love Reigns Sermon V: Love Bears Burdens Freely And Humbly Series

LOVE BEARS BURDENS FREELY AND HUMBLY

A woman lost her son in battle, and could find no comfort. She went to a wise counselor and asked what to do. Said he: “Go find a home that has no sorrow, bring back a mustard seed, and God will restore your son”. After several weeks, she returned and said, “I have been so selfish in my grief. Sorrow is common to every home. My grief has now turned to joy.”

Grief may not turn to joy sooner rather than later, but it makes us wiser for the rest of our journey once we realize that grief is indeed common to all people, and that the joy Jesus promised his disciples, who quite naturally were filled with grief immediately upon learning of His imminent death, has been and shall be restored via resurrection. All it takes for grief to turn to joy is faith as small as a mustard seed!

Yes, we all have problems and cares that weigh us down. What to do with our burdens is a challenge we all face – which, you might say, in and of itself, amounts to yet another burden. It’s ironic: We become burdened about what to do with burdens! A fella once told me that his biggest worry was worrying about worrying!

Thus, we should not be surprised to discover that the Bible speaks clearly on the subject of burden-bearing - provided we understand what might otherwise be considered a contradiction, as seen in Paul’s letter to the Galatians:

The essence of what we find in the Bible about burden-bearing is this: Some burdens are meant to be shared – Galatians 6:2 . . . Some are meant to be shouldered - Galatians 6:5 . . . Some are meant to be shed – (Psalm 55:22) . . . all of which are to be undertaken in humility.

Folks: If we really want to share burdens with one another . . . shoulder burdens of our own . . . shed burdens that we have no business carrying, we have to make up our minds to do so with an attitude of humility, as was the manner with which the Lord Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. I can say without qualification:

Humble persons have what it takes to deal with burdens because to do so requires integrity. Every humble person I ever knew epitomized integrity - unity, wholeness, oneness . . . at one (at peace) with God . . . at one with Christ . . . at one with fellow believers . . . at one with self. Wherever an attitude of humility prevails there will be unity - of purpose and plan.

On the other hand, wherever pride prevails – selfish ambition, personal desire for prestige and power, an attitude of superiority toward those whose differences some don’t like – there will be disunity, the chief characteristic of which is being “at odds with” rather than “at one with”.

In the face of the danger of disunity caused by selfishness, Paul appealed to Christians to stick with humility as exemplified by Christ – Philippians 2:1-5 . . .

Apparently, before the Christian movement even got off the ground, disunity reared its ugly head and threatened to derail the success of the early Church.

So Paul appealed to their sense of “community” – the unity of community! Christians of all denominations and diverse lifestyle have too much in common to allow disunity to get a foothold in the Christian Fellowship and thereby put a stranglehold on the mission of the Church!

“We are one in the bond of love!” “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love, the fellowship of kindred minds, is like to that above!”

It is as if Paul pled with them by asking this question out of desperation: “Why can’t we all just get along with each other?” “Why Not Just Be Christian?”

The fact that we all are in Christ . . . part of the Christian Fellowship . . . in a love relationship with Christ - who first loved us and gave himself for us, and told us to love one another . . . endued with power by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit . . . people of pity and heartfelt compassion . . . committed to the purpose for which Christ established His Church – LOVE BEARS BURDENS FREELY AND HUMBLY!

A woman lost her son in battle, and could find no comfort. She went to a wise counselor and asked what to do. Said he: “Go find a home that has no sorrow, bring back a mustard seed, and God will restore your son”. After several weeks, she returned and said, “I have been so selfish in my grief. Sorrow is common to every home. My grief has now turned to joy.”