April 21

We know that when we have surrendered our lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a transforming work within us. Our outer circumstances may remain largely unchanged, but our inner man will become more like the Lord we profess to love and serve if we give Him liberty to transform us from what we have been to what He desires us to become.

One of the insights into what that inner transformation will entail comes to us in the small book of Galatians. In Chapter 6, verse 2, it says, “Bear one another’s burdens and in this way fulfill the law of Christ.” There is perhaps no greater way we can reflect Jesus and His law of love than by following this admonition.

Jesus, Lord of everything that exists, left Heaven where He is worshiped and praised continually to become a mere man—not a powerful, highly respected man—a lowly, despised man for one reason. His purpose was nothing less than bearing our burden of sin so that we could lay down that unwieldy load. Why? Because of His love.

Because His love compelled Him, He took our enormous weight of sin from us. We no longer must carry it! We are free of its power to hold our lives from the joy of our salvation! As Jesus lifted our burden and set us free from it, so we must extend ourselves through love and prayer and compassion to lift the burdens of our fellow man.