Daily Devotional from The Way Bible Church for June 24th, 2020

One of the fine lines that many Christians tend to have difficulty walking is how to properly help others through difficult situations. It can be a challenging to figure out how to empower someone to overcome without enabling the behavior that may have gotten them where they are in the first place. What can happen, if you’re not careful, is that you can unintentionally take on the burdens that they’ve been carrying. In other words, you take up their cross. If you’re like most people, you’re already pretty busy with your own cross and the weight of someone else’s could prove to be too much. There is only one person who has the ability to relieve others of their burdens and that’s Jesus. As a believer you are instructed by the Lord to help make disciples and walk with others through their struggles but you must be careful to not take those issues upon yourself. Many well intended Christians have found themselves falling into some of the same sin and offenses that they’re trying to help others out of. Your job is to constantly and consistently direct them to Lord for answers to their questions. Counsel is not carrying, counsel is connecting. When the Lord puts someone in your path who is in need of help make sure that you help them by connecting them with Him, not by taking on their problems as your own. Jesus said, “Let him deny himself and take up HIS cross…”, not someone else’s. He will give you wisdom and grace to encourage and support those who need it. But, only He can bear their burdens. – Love and Blessings, Pastor Jeff