Bearing Each Other’s Burdens
by Steve Arterburn
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2
We are called to walk alongside others on the journey of discipleship. We serve our brothers and sisters by helping them stay on or return to the path of faithfulness. And we also serve them by
making sure we continue in faithfulness. Self-neglect and irresponsibility impose an unfair burden on your brother and sister in Christ, because they’re responsible to help you.
The body of Christ is not a place of self-sufficiency. It’s time we quit believing those lies we’ve been listening to for so long. The Christian faith is not each person looking out for him or herself. Nor is it the survival of the fittest. The body of Christ is a place of interdependency. When you share the troubles and problems of others, you’re fulfilling the law of love. Our burdens bring us together! As you call on others to help you bear your burdens, you will find your love and appreciation growing. Your weaknesses call forth other’s strengths. And when others call on you, you have the opportunity to be an agent of God’s mercy and grace, looking for nothing in return.
Do you know someone who is under a heavy burden at this time? What practical way can you come alongside that person and help him or her bear it? Prayerfully consider what God may be calling you to do, then step forward and do it.
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” - Charles Dickens(1812-1870)
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Ransomed Heart - Fight For It
Fight For It
09/21/2007
Be kind, for everyone you know is facing a great battle.
A true community is something you will have to fight for. You’ll have to fight to get one, and you’ll have to fight to keep it afloat. But you fight for it like you bail out a life raft during a storm at sea. You want this thing to work. You need this thing to work. You can’t ditch it and jump back on the cruise ship. This is the church; this is all you have. Without it, you’ll go down. Or back to prison.
Suddenly all those “one another’s” in Scripture make sense. Love one another. Bear one another’s burdens. Forgive one another. Acts of kindness become deeply meaningful because we know we are at war. Knowing full well that we are all facing battles of our own, we give one another the benefit of the doubt. Leigh isn’t intentionally being distant from me – she’s probably under an assault. That’s why you must know each other’s stories, know how to “read” one another. A word of encouragement can heal a wound; a choice to forgive can destroy a stronghold. You never knew your simple acts were so weighty. Its what we’ve come to call “lifestyle warfare.”
We check in regularly with one another, not out of paranoia (“Do you still like me?”), but in order to watch over each other’s hearts. “How are you doing?” But be careful about what you are looking for from community. For if you bring your every need to it, it will collapse. Community is no substitute for God. I left our annual camping trip absolutely exhausted and disappointed. As we drove home, I realized it was because I was looking to them to validate me, appreciate me, fill this aching void in my heart. Only once in ten days did I take time to be away with God, alone. I was too busy trying to get my needs met through them. Which is why community cannot live without solitude.
(Waking The Dead , 199, 200 )
From The Ransomed Heart, by John Eldredge, reading 264
Ransomed Heart Ministries www.ransomedheart.com
To unsubscribe from this mailing, go to the My Profile section on www.ransomedheart.com and uncheck the Daily Readings List checkbox in your profile.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Dobson says Thompson 'not for me'
ELECTION 2008
Dobson says Thompson 'not for me'
Evangelical leader cites candidate's opposition to federal marriage amendment
Posted: September 20, 2007
2:56 p.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
James Dobson
Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, who previously questioned GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson's viability among evangelical voters, now has told friends he cannot support the former Tennessee senator.
In an e-mail to friends, according to the Associated Press, Dobson said he won't be supporting Thompson: "Not for me, my brothers. Not for me!"
Dobson raised questions about the strength of Thompson's campaign and challenged his stance on issues important to evangelical Christians, for whom Dobson is widely considered an important voice.
"Isn't Thompson the candidate who is opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage, believes there should be 50 different definitions of marriage in the U.S., favors McCain-Feingold, won't talk at all about what he believes, and can't speak his way out of a paper bag on the campaign trail?" Dobson's e-mail said.
As WND reported in March, Dobson was quoted by U.S. News and World Report saying, "Everyone knows [Thompson's] conservative and has come out strongly for the things that the pro-family movement stands for, [but] I don't think he's a Christian; at least that's my impression."
(Story continues below)
Men's Retreat on a Roll!
| ||||||||
| | ||||||||
| | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
| ||||||||
Men's Retreat - What is it? 
He Ain't Heavy....He's my Brother! 
What to bring
