One of the corporate axioms by which good businesses operate is, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." This is very useful when manufacturing the maximum number of widgets for the greatest profit margin possible, but it can be a devastating standard when applied to the church in general, and relationships in particular. It would be difficult to make a credible argument for the quality of your love if it ceases to do good just because you're tired and not really seeing a proper return on its investment.

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OK, so which is it? First it's, "Bear one another's burdens", and then it's, "For each one will bear his own load". The perceived contradiction has to do with the fact that two completely different things are being discussed here, yet using similar terminology. The first burden has to do with fulfilling "the law of Christ" — "'This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you'" (Jn. 15:12) — which is largely an external burden for others, whereas the second is a personal burden for how we present ourselves. The first outwardly demonstrates our love for others, the second keeps our ego and personal concerns in check so that our love for them is genuine from the inside.

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God's Word makes a very clear distinction between those who commit a personal sin and those who deceive to lead others astray. You can learn the difference simply by noting how Jesus treats each person or group He encounters corresponding to whether they're experiencing a problem with personal sin as opposed to handling the truth. From His example in treating sinners who have committed what we might label the worst and most seemingly unforgivable sins we derive the clear picture of a Gentle Shepherd. But we might furrow our brow and observe, "Well, He's JESUS! Of course HE can do it…it's ME I doubt can do it like Him." I think that's both a valid and healthy observation.

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Christianity can seem like a very difficult endeavor, particularly if your Bible study rarely pierces the surface level. Reading through Galatians 5 with little pause to study each verse and their interdependent relationships with the verses around them can yield a "big picture" axiom which seems broad and overwhelming because, in the details, its specific definition was glossed over too fast to be recognized. In this case, I'm saying that at a general level we all agree that the Bible commands us to crucify the old life and instead "walk by the Spirit", but there does not seem to be many who know exactly what that means or how to define it. If we can pause for a moment in Galatians 5, we'll discover the nuts-and-bolts answer to both.

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To be sure, there are many individuals, organizations, and even movements operating today which are clearly false and at odds with biblical truth. But many of them appear not to have been born from the outset as enemies of the Gospel but as actually having begun as legitimate efforts born of the Spirit which somewhere along the way veered off course. This can occur for a great many reasons, but I believe one of the more common occurrences is that they turn their "freedom into an opportunity for the flesh". They lose sight of the opportunity they have been provided to put into practice the biblical definition of love to "serve one another" and instead serve themselves.

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I maintain the personal theory that one of the reasons church in America has changed so much in the past 30+ years is not solely due to cultural and media influences, but avoidance of truth and accountability. I truly believe that some of our Christian brothers and sisters from centuries past would envy the amount of discretionary time at our disposal and would actually think it a blessing from God to be able to go to church MORE, to spend MORE time reading the Bible, and to do even MORE for the needy in our community. They would be shocked that the average Christian is instead doing all of these things less and less, apportioning their time to things taking them away from all things Christian.

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Redemption, adoption, inheritance. All three of these progressive processes have something in common: they're all actions OUT and AWAY from the world, forsaking the present false promises held forth by the world for the future true provisions of Almighty God. Redeemed FROM the world, adopted OUT of the world, and an inheritance NOT OF this world. The amazing thing is that we can begin living that future in the here and now if we only live like someone redeemed, adopted, and coming into their inheritance. In doing so we would begin to live as God's children and therefore immediately derive some of these benefits in this present life.
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