In talking about the ministry of burden-bearing Tim Challies shares this exciting thought: “It is a vocation that will earn you very few accolades. It will gain you very few awards. The majority of what you do will be unnoticed by others and forgotten even by those who benefit most. You yourself will forget most of it. But every bit of it will matter. Every bit of it will do good to others and bring glory to God.”1
My friends I concur with John Piper that there are few ministries that can bring us more satisfaction than the ministry of burden-bearing: “Here is a vocation that will bring you more satisfaction than if you became a millionaire ten times over: Develop the extraordinary skill for detecting the burdens of others and devote yourself daily to making them lighter.”2
And when it comes to the ministry of burden-bearing Tim Challies adds this powerful thought: “This is the extraordinary ministry for every ordinary Christian—bearing the burdens of others. What seems so mundane and so unspectacular, is actually bringing great glory and honor to God.”3 For you see greatness in the kingdom of God is not measured by how much money you give to missions or the church, or how many of your talents you use to contribute to the betterment of others, but to how faithful you are in consistently doing the little things that bless others.
There are so many ways we can bear one another’s burdens that the list is endless. Some very practical examples are the following:
Pay a visit to someone in a nursing home who rarely gets visitors.
Cook a meal for a shut-in.
Call or email a friend to let them know you are praying for their needs.
Give a ride to someone to church who has trouble getting there.
Be a listening shoulder to someone you know is going through a trial.
Treat someone who rarely eats out to breakfast.
Pay someone’s phone bill who you know is having financial difficulties.
What makes this ministry of burden-bearing so exciting and satisfying is the mutual joy that both you and the one you help receive by these small acts of kindness. Sacrificing of our time, talents, and finances, to help someone in need, will always bring with it multiple blessings; with the biggest one being knowing that we are putting a smile on the face of Jesus and bringing glory to God.
While bearing someone’s burdens may appear to be a sacrifice, in reality you are investing in kingdom work, which will reap a great harvest of joy and an eternal weight of glory. In my book burden bearing is no sacrifice but a great privilege and is a wonderful investment that will yield eternal dividends!
1An Extraordinary Skill for Ordinary Christians | Tim Challies
22020 Vision: Bear One Another’s Burdens (uniongospelmission.org)
3An Extraordinary Skill for Ordinary Christians | Tim Challies