Trailblazers: Bear Others' Burdens
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17 (ESV)
But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
1 John 3:17 (ESV)
What does a trail guide take on his journeys? Water, food, phone, light, and a first aid kit? A practiced and polished hiking knowledge?
What about a media trailblazer? A headshot, resume, and special skills? A practiced and polished online presence?
On their first missionary excursion, Jesus told His earliest disciples, 'Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt' (Luke 9:3). Why? To prove God's exceeding sufficiency? To leave them free to bear others' burdens?
Actors, models, and talent for Christ: Can you help bear any of these burdens?
Hunger: 'When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you' (Luke 14:13-14). Media is an information feast. You carry Good News and the Bread of Life!
Loneliness: Because God 'Administers justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger' (Deuteronomy 10:18)– and because 'God sets the solitary in families' (Psalm 68:6). You represent the family of God, Who seeks and welcomes the lost and lonely!
Privacy: 'He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter' (Proverbs 11:13). If someone confides in you, keep it close. Don’t gossip. Don’t listen or condone it! 'Love covers a multitude of sins' (1 Peter 4:8).
Grief: 'Mourn with those who mourn' (Romans 12:15). 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35). You don't need the right words– just the right heart. Let mourners know you care and share their grief. If mourning moved Jesus, let it move you.
Mistakes: 'If someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently... Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the Law of Christ' (Galatians 6:1-2). We all sin. Don’t condemn. Help when you can!
Poverty: 'The goal is equality, as it is written: 'The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little' ' (2 Corinthians 8:14-15). Giving away is a two-fold blessing: You lift someone’s load and lighten your own.
Discipleship: Jesus gave Peter three parting orders: 'Tend My lambs... Shepherd My sheep... Tend My sheep' (John 21:15-17). With God’s Spirit, you’re priests and shepherds, too! In these roles, you are your brother’s keepers. Alone, Sunday sermons can’t disciple.
Family: 'If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever' (1 Timothy 5:8). To ignore your kin’s needs (your church kin, too)… is to ignore what God tells you to do.
Prayer: 'Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much' (James 5:16). It may be fast or slow, but this I know: Intercessory prayer works wonders!
Conditions that seem utterly hopeless: 'Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give' (Matthew 10:8). Let’s agree to believe in miracles. 'All things are possible to him who believes' (Mark 9:23).
Actors, models, and talent for Christ: When you see a burden, try these 3 steps:
STOP what you're doing. Recognize the need!
DROP to your knees, and ask the Lord for strength.
ROLL the burden off the bearer (with God)! 'Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends' (John 15:13).
Because, 'For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required' (Luke 12:48).
Trailblazers: Bear Others' Burdens (Part 14)
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.