THE UPPER ROOM 14 APRIL 2024 DEVOTIONAL, SUNDAY MESSAGE
TOPIC: An Army of Helpers
TODAY’S READING
1 John 3:16-18
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
Several years ago, a close family friend and brother in Christ was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer. Along with the diagnosis came a multitude of concerns. Our friend was the principal breadwinner, so how long could he work to support his family? It was a frightening time.
The apostle Paul admonished the church in Galatia to bear one another’s burdens. Through our friend’s long struggle with cancer, God taught me and others the true meaning of Paul’s words. To carry another’s burden, we must sacrifice something, whether time, energy, or money. Some families combined resources to pay our friend’s rent and bills. Some gave gift cards for groceries. Some volunteered to drive him back and forth to chemotherapy appointments. A veritable army of helpers stepped up to bear this family’s burdens. Above all, we were in constant prayer for our friend’s healing.
We also learned that when God calls us to bear one another’s burdens, it doesn’t mean that we must carry all of it alone; we only need to carry the piece we are given. My piece might not look like your piece. But if we each carry our part, then it lessens the overall load. In carrying others’ burdens, we fulfill the law of Christ — to love one another as God has loved us.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Jesus, teach us how to love others as you love us. Help us to bear the burdens of others with compassion. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I show God’s love by bearing others’ burdens.
PRAYER FOCUS
Those recently diagnosed with cancer
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The Upper Room 14 April 2024 Devotional Message. The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More