TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
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TODAY IN THE WORD
On May 17, 1792, about two dozen merchants and brokers met under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street in New York City to buy and sell ownership interests in local businesses. On bad weather days, the group moved their transactions to the shelter of a coffeehouse. These meetings represented the beginnings of the New York Stock Exchange.

Business partnerships don't get very far when there are four or five different agendas at work. At some point, those Wall Street businessmen had to agree (""say the same thing"") in order to get their fledgling idea off the ground.

""Say the same thing"" is the literal translation for the appeal that Paul makes in verse 10 of today's text, and the idea of common purpose is the same there as it was for that early ""stock exchange."" The body of Christ can't function the way it is designed to function unless its members ""agree with one another"" to avoid division and work together in unity.

In the New Testament, a specific church comes to mind whenever the discussion turns to a lack of unity in the body. The Corinthians practically defined ""disunity."" They were adept at division and strife.

Like some sort of scrappy political convention, the Corinthian church was divided into at least four ""parties,"" each with its loyal followers. Paul, Peter, Apollos and Christ were the four ""party candidates"" whom these believers championed--and Paul knew the nonsense had to stop. Why? Because division in the body of Christ is as destructive as it is in the human body. Imagine your legs deciding to take you in different directions at the same time. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul uses the illustration of a human body fighting among its members to demonstrate the need for unity in Christ's body.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The second part of today's verse gives us the key to unity in the church. Paul's prayer will be answered as we ""follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth [we] may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"" (Rom. 15:5-6).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 5:13-15
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TODAY IN THE WORD
According to two prominent demographers, most areas of rural America are growing at their fastest rate in more than twenty years. This rural migration has been documented in the stories of urban dwellers seeking to escape the crime, congestion and slumping home values of many cities. One man who moved to a small town in northern Iowa found what he was seeking, along with a bonus: people who serve one another. ""In the doughnut shop,"" he marveled, ""the customers are considerate enough to pour one another coffee.""

That charming picture of small-town life captures the essence of today's ""one another"" passage. If the patrons of a doughnut shop are observant enough to notice when a fellow customer needs his or her coffee warmed up, how much more should we as fellow Christians tend to one another's needs?

Paul's exhortation, as seen in today's verse, seems mild enough when set apart from its context. But a quick reading of Galatians 5 will show that this is a hard-hitting chapter. The Galatian believers were in danger of stumbling, and Paul wanted to jar them out of their lethargy.

As the heart of his warning, Paul urged the Galatians to hold fast to their freedom in Christ. But freedom can be misused. So to keep these believers from going in the other direction and throwing off the constraints of godly living, Paul urged them to serve one another.

To strengthen his argument and appeal, the apostle quotes Jesus on loving one's neighbor (v.14). Jesus once told the famous story of the Good Samaritan to answer the question, ""Who is my neighbor?"" (Luke 10:25-37; see also Matt. 22:39).

This is a great biblical picture of what it means to serve others. The man who was robbed and beaten needed a lot of help. The Samaritan did whatever was needed, even though it cost him money as well as time. He also risked his person, since for all he knew the robbers might still have been nearby.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Serving one another in love can be as involved as aiding someone in a time of crisis or as simple as picking up a towel and helping with the supper dishes.

In other words, service is to be a mindset, a way of approaching your day. When you are eager to serve others, it's amazing how many opportunities you suddenly notice.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 4:1-2; Colossians 3:12-14
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TODAY IN THE WORD
If you plan to do any ice skating or driving around on a frozen lake this winter, here's a useful piece of information from the National Weather Service. The Service estimates that six inches of clear lake ice that has not been heavily traveled on can bear the weight of one person on foot. Under the same conditions, it would take about twenty-four inches of ice to hold a car or a light truck.

Most of us would rather not test the accuracy of the Weather Service's estimates. Overload a patch of ice, and you could find yourself swimming in freezing water.

How much can you bear before you give way? We're not asking about the major pressures--crises in life that weigh us down and drain our spirits. We're talking about the daily annoyances and irritations that are inevitable whenever two or more people's lives rub together.

Evidently, the Christians in Ephesus and Colosse were just like us. They sometimes found it hard to put up with one another. Paul had to urge them to do so, just as we have to learn (and re-learn) the art of overlooking contrasting opinions, personality quirks, and differences of habit and behavior.

The problem with a lack of forbearance--to use the old King James word for this virtue--is that letting the ""little stuff"" get under your skin can lead to big explosions.

When two Christians can't put up with each other, their energies for productive service are drained off and they are derailed from their devotion to Christ. This can also happen to an entire body of believers in a church, disrupting unity and squelching forgiveness (Eph. 4:3; Col. 3:13).

If that happens, the ice has given way, so to speak. The problem has grown from a handful of small irritations to a spiritually destructive condition. We will learn throughout this month that maintaining harmony, love and unity in the body of Christ is essential to a healthy ministry.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Patience is a virtue everybody wants...right now!

How can you develop a tolerant spirit? Our text today gives some helpful clues by surrounding this virtue with other character traits that form the right soil for its growth: humility and gentleness (Eph. 4:2); compassion, kindness, a willingness to forgive, and love (Col. 3:12-14).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 4:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:15
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Depending on your calendar or your memory of school history lessons, you may have noticed that today is Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Stories of Lincoln's honesty, gentle spirit, and kindness abound.

One such story concerns Lincoln's ride through Richmond after it had been abandoned by Confederate troops near the end of the Civil War. An old ex-slave approached the President's carriage, took off his hat, and, bowing, said: ""God bless you, Mr. Lincoln."" In response, Lincoln removed his hat and bowed silently.

Such a gesture of kindness and respect must have spoken volumes to that man. Without ever saying a word, we too can accomplish the same by our acts of kindness.

Our being kind to one another pleases our Lord, who was kind not only to those who loved Him, but also to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:35). One character trait that should definitely mark us as Christians is kindness.

Why? Because we have been forgiven through the kindness of God. God's kindness toward us is more than just the gifts of common grace: rain, sunshine, food, etc. These are wonderful gifts, but God's kindness reached beyond that to lead us to repentance (Rom. 2:4).

Once we have tasted His forgiveness for sin, how can we withhold our forgiveness from a brother or a sister who has wronged us? Extending forgiveness to one another is one way we can practice kindness. In 1 Thessalonians 5:15, Paul gives us another perspective on this quality. To show kindness is not to seek revenge, not to pay back the other person wrong for wrong, but instead to return good for evil.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One important truth about most acts of kindness is that they can be done in the time it takes to write about them. Yet the benefit and blessing can last far longer.

We give you plenty of daily challenges every month and try to make them something achievable in the course of your daily activities. In that spirit, you might plan to do an act of kindness today for a fellow Christian--perhaps a note, a phone call, a small gift, or an invitation to lunch. Your kindness may meet a particular need in that person's life.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 5:18-20
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Neither the stress of failing eyesight nor the threat of a debtor's prison hanging over him deterred composer George F. Handel as he furiously composed his masterpiece, The Messiah. In an inspired flurry of musical creativity, Handel completed the entire oratorio in approximately three weeks. Handel said later that as he wrote, he felt as if his heart would burst with joy at what he was hearing in his mind and heart.

For more than two hundred years since, the hearts of countless believers have burst with joy at performances of The Messiah. The glorious music stirs us, and the words are almost entirely from Scripture. The Messiah is a teaching and learning experience straight from God's Word!

This exemplifies what God intended whenever we are filled with His Spirit. One of the traps we can fall into in our churches today is treating music as a ""mood setter,"" a prelude to the sermon. But according to Paul, worship is one of the results of being filled with the Spirit, that is, under the Spirit's continual control.

This is why we are exhorted to speak to one another in various forms of music. We can teach, admonish, encourage, remind and warn one another of God's truth as we sing in community.

This is why the ""one another"" command we are studying today follows immediately after the command to be filled with the Spirit. A Spirit-filled person cannot help expressing that joy in music. In the process, he or she brings glory to God and ministers to the rest of the body of Christ.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Matthew 26:30 reminds us that as Jesus was on His way to the cross, He and the disciples sang a hymn.

If Jesus could sing in the shadow of Calvary, we can sing in the face of any trial. Are you up against something right now that is robbing you of joy? Choose your favorite hymn of praise and adoration to the Lord, and sing it today in your devotions. Are you rejoicing over some victory or an answer to prayer? Let a song of thanks be your offering of gratitude to God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 13:34-35
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Tradition says that Valentine's Day takes its name from a young Christian in ancient Rome who was imprisoned for refusing to worship Roman gods. Valentine had made friends with many children, who missed him dearly and would toss loving notes between the bars of his cell window. This is the supposed origin of the custom of exchanging cards on Valentine's Day.

In the 1700s, groups of friends met to draw names on Valentine's Day. One young man wore his valentine's name on his sleeve for several days, the probable origin of the expression ""wearing his heart on his sleeve.""

We don't need to wear our hearts on our sleeves when it comes to loving one another in the body of Christ. But sending a fellow believer a message of sincere agape love and carrying that person's needs in one's heart is still a good idea.

Many of the ""one anothers"" we are studying this month call for attitudes and actions that are far from normal for sinful human beings. But at first glance, love may seem to be an exception. After all, love comes naturally to us--or does it?

Human affection is something we may be born with, but the kind of love Christ calls for is not natural, but supernatural. How do we know that? Because it is the kind of love Jesus Himself demonstrated when He went to the cross to die for our sins. This is the ""greater love"" that leads a person to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

When we compare normal human love to Christ's example of supreme sacrifice, we can see how far short we come of measuring up to the divine standard. Our love is often self-centered and self-protecting or meted out in doses as a reward for someone who does what we want. But God commands us to love one another with His supernatural love that gives instead of gets. ""For God so loved...that He gave"" (John 3:16).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Along with the cards, candy and flowers that will go to loved ones today, here are three other ""valentines"" you can give to those closest to you.

First, give your spouse or child a heartfelt word of thanks for a routine household or family task. Tell the other person why you appreciate the effort. Second, give a loved one a listening ear today, the gift of your undivided attention. Third, pay a loved one a sincere compliment.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Ephesians 4:29; 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5
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TODAY IN THE WORD
When the great naturalist John Muir was a boy, his father took the family on an extended trip across the American continent. The Muir family took a full year to travel from coast to coast, enjoying the wonders of nature they encountered. At night, Muir recalled, his father would take the children outside and show them the skies, speaking of the cloud formations as the ""robes of God."" This inspiring experience had a profound effect on young John, who went on to a distinguished career as a naturalist.

What John Muir's father did for his children captures well the essence of today's ""one another"" text. We encourage other believers when we elevate their outlook, helping them to get their eyes off things around them and to look up.

The context of Paul's commands in 1 Thessalonians makes the story of John Muir even more appropriate. In a spiritual sense, Paul took the Thessalonian believers ""outside"" and pointed them to the sky, from which Jesus would come to catch away His people in the Rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-17).

The church was very young and immature at this point. Some Christians feared they would never again see their fellow believers who had died. With their spiritual eyes on the graveyard, they became discouraged as a result. Paul lifted their vision from earth to heaven and urged them to keep reminding one another of the hope of Christ's return.

In 1 Thessalonians 5, the apostle added another facet to our ministry of mutual encouragement. We are to ""build each other up"" by the encouraging things we say and do. This makes biblical encouragement far more than just urging a brother or a sister to ""hang in there"" or to ""cheer up.""
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
If you had to encourage a fellow Christian from Scripture today, would you know where to begin?

If not, you can prepare very quickly. Taking a Bible concordance and a piece of paper, and begin exploring verses that speak of encouragement, comfort, help or blessing. Write down the verses that speak to your own heart in a special way. Keep the paper in your Bible.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Hebrews 10:24-25
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TODAY IN THE WORD
William McGuffey loved to learn. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1800, McGuffey learned the ""three R's"" from his mother and attended classes taught by the local minister. He began teaching other students at the age of 13, furthering his own education by borrowing books from neighbors. McGuffey became a college professor at the age of 26; but he is best remembered for his series of readers, which were used by generations of American school children. The McGuffey Readers urged students to adopt virtues such as truthfulness, kindness, hard work, thrift and sobriety.

William McGuffey was very successful at motivating others to practice virtuous behavior. He used interesting examples to make his point, knowing how important it is for people to see virtue in action.

McGuffey was not the first person to understand the value of a good example when it comes to helping people do what's right. The writer of Hebrews wanted his readers to make a deliberate effort to find ways they could spur one another forward in their Christian walk.

In the original Greek, the word ""spur"" is as strong and sharp as a cowboy's spur. It is used in Acts 15:39 to describe how sharp the disagreement was between Paul and Barnabas. And Paul uses it in Ephesians 6:4 to warn fathers not to ""exasperate"" their children.

Why did the author of Hebrews use such a potent term? Considering that these Jewish believers were wavering unsteadily in their faith, they needed a jolt to wake them up to the seriousness of their plight and the importance of remaining true to Christ.

How could the readers of Hebrews get spiritual strength? By fanning the flame of their love and by helping one another do the good works that are the mark of true Christians (Eph. 2:10). By meeting together faithfully, they would maximize their opportunities for mutual encouragement.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
How do you spur another believer to love and good deeds? Several ways come to mind. For example, a word of encouragement and support to someone who is serving Christ can be a real boost. Offering a hand is another way to help ensure that good deeds get done.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: James 4:11-12; 1 Peter 2:1
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TODAY IN THE WORD
The story is told that author Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 in a drunken stupor while lying in a Baltimore gutter. But a new look at the medical evidence from Poe's last days shows that the writer was not drunk, but suffering from rabies. Furthermore, he did not die on the street, but in a hospital.

So how did the false story get started? It may have been concocted by Poe's doctor. A strong temperance advocate, he might have wanted to turn the writer's death into a propaganda lesson about the evils of alcoholism.

Whatever Edgar Allen Poe's personal shortcomings were, it appears that his reputation has suffered from more than a century of slander. It's a classic case. Like most slander, the story contains a kernel of truth. Poe was seen in a bar acting strangely shortly before his death, and he did drink occasionally. But these facts did not contribute to his death. Nonetheless, the slanderous account endured for more than one hundred years.

The Bible warns: ""Do not slander one another."" Slander has no purpose but to tear down the character and reputation of its target. It is often built on just enough truth to make it believable, especially to ears receptive to gossip. But slander inflicts damage that is almost impossible to undo. That's one reason it has no place in the family of God.

James links slander with a violation of the law of God, saying that the person who slanders a brother or a sister in Christ sets himself above the law. There is only one Person who is higher than the law: God, the Lawgiver and Judge.

In what way is slander the same as judging a fellow Christian? In many cases, the person spreading slander has made a judgment about another person's motives, which we learned earlier this month is a very dangerous step to take (see February 6).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Slanderous gossip can be passed on only when there are ears and mouths willing to do the job.

Besides refusing to listen, there is an effective way to silence slander. Tell the speaker that you won't listen unless he or she agrees that the two of you will go to the person named and confirm the facts of the case. If the ""juicy bit"" is merely a second-hand rumor, your offer will likely be refused.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 4:9-10; Hebrews 13:2
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Chances are good that you've seen pictures or perhaps even visited the White House, home of the President of the United States. Yet George Washington was ridiculed for wanting to build the Presidential mansion in a city that at the time was considered little more than swampland. John Adams was the first President to occupy the White House, although he let it be known he would rather live in a more civilized city. But after just one night there, Adams decided he loved the place. He wrote to his wife: ""I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it.""

This is a wonderful prayer for believers who want their homes to be places of hospitality for all who come through the doors. Practicing the grace of hospitality is a ""one another"" command that almost any of us can obey. No matter what the size or condition of our homes, we can make them a place where another Christian can find a welcome.

For first-century Christians, hospitality was not just a nice touch. It was a necessity, since safe travelers' accommodations as we know them were hard to find. We think of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, who could not find a room the night Jesus was to be born.

The very meaning of the New Testament Greek word ""inn""--to ""receive all""--suggests how important it was for believers to offer hospitality to one another when traveling. The inns of that day accepted all sorts of travelers, good and bad.

As the church grew and spread around the known world, Christians had a new reason to practice the grace of hospitality. Traveling missionaries and teachers went from place to place ministering to the church. When Apollos traveled from Ephesus to Achaia, the church in Ephesus wrote to the disciples in Achaia to ""welcome him"" (Acts 18:27).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Have you ever consciously committed your home and all that it represents to the Lord for His use? Have you shared your commitment with your children or your spouse?

If you have not made that commitment, we encourage you to do so. Talk it over with your family. Review today's texts with them, and note what it takes to make hospitality truly Christian: 1. Hospitality meets the need of other believers (Rom. 12:13); 2. It should be offered without complaining (1 Pet. 4:9); and 3. It must be offered in a spirit of service (v. 10).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Peter 5:5-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
A young man who had been invited to a dinner given by the South African statesman John Cecil Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes's house in his travel-stained clothes. To the young guest's horror, he found a room full of people in full evening dress. Soon Rhodes appeared, wearing an old suit. He had heard of the young man's problem and wanted to spare him further embarrassment.

Rhodes literally clothed himself with humility, a clear picture of what the apostle Peter is speaking about in today's text. Clothing ourselves with humility toward others puts us on their level, in their shoes, and keeps us from lording it over other Christians or flaunting our position.

The only way to live in humility is to ""put it on"" every day the way we get up in the morning and put on our clothes. Humility should be another identifying mark of Christians, part of our daily uniform that identifies us the way a ball player's uniform reveals his team or a soldier's uniform signals his allegiance.

Who is our best example of humility? Christ Himself set the standard. Paul tells us in Philippians 2:8 that Jesus, though fully God, humbled Himself all the way to death on a cross. If Jesus could do that, no attitude or act of humility is beneath us!

Even more strongly, Paul makes the point about the One we are to imitate when he writes in Romans 13:14: ""Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ."" When you put on Christ, you put on humility.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Humility is one virtue that seems to look best on others. But the Bible says we need to look in the mirror and make sure we are wearing humility as part of our own ""outfit."" Humility can be elusive: as someone has said, the minute you think you have it, you've lost it.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 John 1:5-7
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is the story of a stranded sailor who lives for more than two decades on an island alone. One day he rescues from execution (by neighboring cannibals) a young native whom he calls ""Friday."" Friday proves to be a good student, helper and companion. Through Crusoe's witness, he even comes to faith in Christ.

After so many years without fellowship, Robinson Crusoe at last had a Christian brother! Although it may sometimes feel as though we are as stranded as Crusoe, God intends fellowship to be an important part of the body of Christ.

Today's ""one another"" text is similar to the passage we will study tomorrow from 1 Corinth-ians 12. That is, the phrase ""have fellowship with one another"" is not a command, but a simple declarative. That means our fellowship as believers is a product of something else--our fellowship with God (vv. 6-7).

The progression of thought in 1 John 1 is this. Since God is pure light, meaning He is utterly apart from all sin and darkness, we must live in the light if we are to know Him. Obviously, we are not without sin, but God has made provision for our sin in the blood of His Son (vv. 7, 9).

Therefore, even though we are sinful we can enjoy intimate fellowship with God by believing His Word, taking His Son as our Savior, and living in obedience to Him. When we do this, we will find ourselves in company with others who have also found forgiveness and new life in Christ.

John's point is that our fellowship as Christians is founded on the truth of the gospel. A person cannot claim to know God and yet knowingly live in sin. His life makes his witness a lie (v. 6). John wanted true believers to have fellowship, but only in the truth (v. 3).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
What does today's study have to do with doughnuts and coffee before Sunday School or a potluck supper in the church dining hall? Not much, really, although there is nothing wrong with the get-togethers we often label ""fellowship."" But John is talking about something much deeper--the unique union between God and His children and among His children.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:21-26
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TODAY IN THE WORD
In England in the 1830s, many poor children had no time for school or play. They worked in coal mines under inhuman conditions. But these children had a friend in high places: Anthony Ashley Cooper, seventh Earl of Shaftesbury and a member of Parliament. He was also a devoted Christian who believed God had called him to help the downtrodden. Shaftesbury fought for years to end the abusive child labor practices, although at times he felt ""every hand is against me."" But he stood firm, and Parliament abolished child slavery in the mines.

Lord Shaftesbury's courageous battle on behalf of the helpless was remarkable by any measure, and all the more because he could have simply turned away and enjoyed a life of ease. But he knew what it meant to have ""equal concern"" (v. 25) for others.

This is the way God designed the human body, and also the body of Christ, to work. The fact that some members of the body seem to be more honorable or useful than others does not mean that the less honorable members can be dismissed with the contemptuous sneer, ""I don't need you!""

On the contrary, each part of the body deserves equal care. ""Have equal concern"" is not actually a command. Instead, it's a declaration, a statement of fact. This is the way things are. The very construction of the human body, Paul says, shows us that each part has its place, fills a need, and deserves equal concern and honor with every other part.

Who thought of this? God Himself (v. 24). In His wisdom, He arranged it so that all the members of Christ's body would feel pain and pleasure together (v. 26). This explains what it means for us as Christians to have equal concern for one another.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Having equal concern for other believers follows from the so-called ""golden rule"" (Matt. 7:12).

A good question on this Friday might be: what would you want another believer to do for you this weekend? Maybe it's to help you with a winter chore, invite you out for a leisurely weekend breakfast and good fellowship, or pray with you about a burden you're carrying.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: John 13:12-17
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Philanthropist and industrialist Armand Hammer says he learned to give from the example of his father, a physician. According to Hammer, his father ""had drawers full of unpaid bills for which he refused to demand payment because he knew the difficult circumstances of the patients."" When he knew a person was too poor to eat, let alone pay the doctor, Dr. Hammer would also leave money to pay for a prescription he had just written.

To those people in need, Dr. Hammer's acts of kindness were like a cup of water in the desert or a helping hand stretched out to a drowning man. He truly served his patients. This is the spirit in which Jesus uttered His command to ""wash one another's feet"" (v. 14).

The setting of these words is well known. In the Upper Room, Jesus had just put on a servant's garb and washed His disciples' feet as they reclined at the table, engrossed in their argument about who was the greatest. They needed their feet to be washed, but they also needed a lesson in service.

Washing the feet of house guests was a common act of hospitality and refreshment in that world of hot, dusty streets and open sandals. Not to do so was considered rude (see Luke 7:44). In addition, a kiss of greeting and an application of olive oil to the face or head (vv. 45-46) would provide total refreshment for a guest.

Some Christian groups take the Lord's admonition literally and practice foot-washing in their fellowship. But whether or not your church follows this practice, the thrust of Jesus' message is still the same. If He, our Teacher and Lord (John 13:13), could stoop down to serve others and meet their need, we can do the same. As a matter of fact, we must.

Since needs change, so will the acts of service we do. Foot-washing met a temporary, momentary need. The disciples didn't need their feet washed until they had arrived in the Upper Room. Once their feet were clean, the need for the service was over.

Only someone alert to a situation can fulfill a momentary need like this. Jesus was the only one in the Upper Room who was paying attention.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Washing someone else's feet may not be glamorous service, but it certainly would be refreshing to the recipient.

We need the spirit of Onesiphorus, an otherwise obscure saint who ""often refreshed"" Paul (2 Tim. 1:16). Perhaps this man knew the promise of Proverbs 11:25: ""He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."" Pray today that God will make you an Onesiphorus to the believers around you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Galatians 6:1-5
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TODAY IN THE WORD
Many people tend to think of ""Generation X"" as a group of discontented, spoiled young adults fascinated with little more than tattoos and body piercings. But like many stereotypes, this one doesn't fit the facts. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal says that experts were surprised by a new study of 1ꯠ people under the age of 32. It revealed that 24 percent of these young men and women either had provided, or were providing, ""hands-on, long-term care to a family member or friend."" Fifty-nine percent of these people were caring for grandparents.

For many of us, shouldering the responsibility for another person's physical, emotional, mental, and even financial well-being is the epitome of carrying the burdens of others (v. 2). But there are many ways, large and small, that we as the family of God can fulfill this command.

Paul gives us an example in verse 1. The imagery is that of a hidden trap that catches the unwary. The one caught in a sin isn't excused from his actions, but the implication is that he did not deliberately and defiantly sin--the trap got him, and he can't get himself out.

A person caught in a painful trap of sin doesn't need other believers to cluck their tongues and shake their heads at his foolishness. He needs a friend to reach down and release him from the trap.

This example also helps answer the question of the difference between the ""burdens"" we should help others to bear (v. 2) and the ""load"" we are expected to carry ourselves (v. 5). In the context, a burden is something added to life's normal load of concerns and responsibilities. It's a care or need that is too heavy for one person to bear alone--like a trap that cannot be opened by the victim without help.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Sunday is a great day on which to reflect on God's goodness, and to renew your commitment to Him and to His people.

Do you remember the last time you were carrying an excessive burden and felt the strength of a fellow Christian's helping hand? Spend a few minutes in praise to God for that ministry.