Balance in Bearing Burdens

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ completely. Galatians 6:2

There must be a striking balance between bearing one another's burden and bearing our own burden. On the one hand we all have to bear our own burden, yet at the same time we must bear the burden of one another. The two must be balanced. Extremity in any is a grave danger.

First, we must bear our own burden even in a sacrificial way and then fellowship with the saints in the Body to bear and share the same burden. We must not pass on the burden to others loosely and easily. And we must never take the Body for granted nor expect everything to come from others. This must be the lesson learned from our side in bearing our own burden. 

Besides, bearing our own burden we also must learn to give. The first principle in God’s financial management is "to give": Give with a pure motive. The law of giving is directly related to the law of sowing. Sowing is a law: You reap only what you sow. If you sow wheat, you will reap wheat, not barley. 

A simple example of specifically giving is to give 10% for the church and 5% for the work. And every year revise the percentage upward. In this way, we will be balanced in bearing the financial burden of the church and also of our own. 

This is a healthy way of bearing our own burden in a way of giving. 

At the same time, we must also be balanced in the Body and by the Body for the Body. We are in the Body, at the same time we are in a locality. Before we share our burden to others we must be sure before the Lord that we have the Lord’s presence in all that we do. We must abide by the law of giving and the law of sowing. 

Bearing the burden of others, especially, financial, the Bible has something to say:

1 Corinthians 16:1-3Now concerning the collection for the saints, just as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also do. On the first day of the week each one of you should lay aside in store to himself whatever he may have been prospered, that no collections be made when I come. And when I arrive, whomever you approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem; 

Collecting offering for the needy saints requires us not to love the world, nor mammon. 

Luke 16:13No household servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 

To serve the Lord requires us to love Him. By resurrection life and resurrection power we will overcome money and material possession. Giving money and material things in resurrection is a strong indication that we are under God's administration in resurrection and have overcome the possession of material riches. We are not governed by need, but by the leading of the Lord. The best way to be blessed by God in material riches is to give, not to receive, just as the Lord Jesus did. 

Acts 20:35In all things I have shown you by example that toiling in this way we ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. 

By this way of giving and bearing Rhema burden of other we will command blessing from God. 

Malachi 3:10Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse that there may be food in My house; and prove Me, if you will, by this, says Jehovah of hosts, whether I will open to you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it. 

If we fully offer to God what belongs to Him that the church may be richly supplied, God will open the windows of heaven for us and pour out a blessing to us, and which there will not be enough room to contain. 

In this way, we bear our own burden, and at the same time we bear the burden of others. We will thus be blessed as a member in the Body and be blessed in the Body of which we are aso members. We must be balance in bearing burdens, of our own and also of others.