Life can throw us in the ditch sometimes. Whether it be circumstances beyond our control, our own foolishness, the cruelty of others, or a combination of things that knock us off the horse we are riding, we’ve all found ourselves in the proverbial ditch. At times, our wounds are minor and the ditch is shallow, and we manage to get out by ourselves.  At other times, our injuries are life-threatening and without intervention, we are as good as dead. 

Scripture teaches us that as believers we can bear each other’s burdens. Then it says that by doing so we fulfill the law of Christ. It’s a sort of hidden backlink.  When we seek to bear another’s burdens, we somehow mysteriously fulfill the law Christ has given us.  Most of know that even the sound of the word “law” in the Bible can conjure up thoughts of judgment and failure. The law itself leads us to know that we cannot fulfill it. Yet when Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament law, he laid down another law – one that is higher in origin and even more difficult to fulfill because it involves the denying of self and the giving of one’s self to others. But the beautiful mysterious part of this law is that when we cease being caught up in promoting our own agenda and begin to seek to really care about others, in some mysterious way beyond our human understanding – the higher law is fulfilled and our own needs began to be beautifully met. This is somewhat of a paradox so stay with me; I’m not finished with this train of thought.   Read more...