What do I have a burden for?

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2

Dear Heavenly Father please hear my prayer. As I study your Word, please clear my mind and help me to focus on this passage. Please remove any distraction so I may understand what You desire to teach us. Please Lord cast me aside and show me Your wisdom. I love you Lord. I am nothing without you. You deserve all the glory. In Your Son’s name, I pray. Amen.

The New Testament book of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul between 51 and 57 to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia. Paul wrote the book in response to the Judaizers, Jewish Christians, who were forcing the Gentiles to adhere to certain Old Testament teachings specifically circumcision.

In verse two, we are instructed to “bear one another’s burden.” The phrase in Greek is allelon ho baros bastazo or carry mutually each other’s heavy trouble. Paul teaches that we should help ourselves and our neighbors with difficulties. We carry each other to “fulfill the law of Christ.” The Greek word used for fulfill is anapleroo which means to supply or to complete. The law of Christ or the Greek word nomos is the moral instruction given by Christ. In summary, we mutually carry each other’s burdens to complete God’s plan.

What do I have a burden for? The word “burden” is derived from the Old English byrthen or beran which means to carry or to bear. “Burden” is defined as something that is carried, something oppressive or worrisome, the bearing of the load, or something that is borne with difficulty. As believers in Christ, the Holy Spirit continuously convicts us to complete God’s plan. This conviction brings about heaviness in our lives. This conviction compels us to help God complete his mission, “go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”

Depending on God’s plan for your life, this burden could simply be helping once a month with the children’s ministry or inviting someone to church. Do not think that your burden will be only one thing and will not change. Fellow Christian, you need to expect that you will always be burdened and the burdens will change, “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Again I ask myself, what do I have a burden for? Seeing the popularity of Harry Potter and the Twilight books, I am burdened for the young readers. Where is Christ? I fear that many will follow the way of vampires and witches. They will be led astray.

What am I going to do about it? I am by no means a great writer. However, this burden to write is very heavy. In 2007, I started writing late at night. By the end of 2008, I had finished my first draft. I sent out queries to the multitudes and was rejected. I’ve been told that my writing skills still need quite a bit of honing. The burden is still heavy. Let me be clear on one point, I do not want to gimmick His Word, but I want to teach it in a creative way to reach the lost. If just one person believes in Christ, all the countless hours was worth it. This book project is not for my glory, but for God’s glory. So, I plan to spend next year editing the first book making sure it is tight, crisp, and has a good pace. Once the editing is complete, I plan to self publish it through eBooks and sell it for as cheap as I am allowed.