Galatians 6:4-5
In the previous couple of verses, Paul spoke of the importance of us helping other people to carry their heavy burdens. Now he reminds the Galatians that they have their own burden to bear. The word he uses is also used of a soldier’s pack; that is to say we all have a certain amount that we have to carry. We have responsibilities to bear and sometimes, we just need to get on with it and do the very best that we can.
When our lives come to an end, the Lord will not ask us whether we lived like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Martin Luther or Mother Theresa. He will ask us whether we lived the lives that he called us to live. Perhaps you have the awesome responsibility of being a shop worker, a cleaner, a teacher, an accountant, an MP or a carer. Whatever it is, God wants us to be the very best that we can be. Comparing ourselves to other people totally misses the point because the Lord is not calling us to be anybody other than the person we are.


Spending energy comparing ourselves with others, or feeling like a failure because we are not more like someone else, is a complete waste of time. Each of us has our own pack to carry. Imperfect as it inevitably is, we need to get on and make the very best of what God has put in our hands. That’s exactly what the apostle Paul did. He was faced with a continual barrage of criticism and sometimes violent opposition. He had to live with the thorn in his flesh, which was a continual burden for him. But he knew he had a job to do and he got on with it. May God bless us today as we seek to do just the same.




QUESTION
What is the work that God has called you to do?
PRAYER
Lord God, thank you that you are with me every moment of every day. Help me always to give my best to you. Amen

Released on 30 Jan 2023