A Happy Healthy Church: Devotions From Time of Grace MinistrySample

ACCOUNTABILITY: CARRY EACH OTHER'S BURDENS

Nobody has to tell a Marine platoon that soldiers need one another. From the first day of basic training, recruits are trained to watch out for each other and depend on one another.

You know, a congregation is also a band of brothers (and sisters). Sometimes you will need to lean on somebody else--when there's a cancer diagnosis, job loss, or empty nest--and other times somebody will need to lean on you.

The Bible says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). When you see somebody who's struggling and you provide help, you fulfill one of the reasons why God placed you on this earth. He designed you to be useful, to be kind, to reflect his love to the people in the world around you. That's why you're still here; that's why you're not in heaven already.

One of the things that hardship does for soldiers in training is that it helps them know what great things they're capable of.