Yesterday the Apostle Paul was telling us that we need to “carry each other’s burdens,” and today, a few verses later, he’s telling us that each person needs to carry his own load. Sure sounds contradictory … at least on the surface.

Actually, in yesterday’s instruction, the word for burden in the original language applied to a load or burden that was too heavy for one person to carry alone. The word for “load” in today’s Scripture verse means a load that one is quite capable of carrying himself.

Yes, we do need to help one another in times of need when one’s burden is too heavy to carry alone, but there are times when helping to carry another person’s load when he or she should be carrying it alone is not helpful.

These are the times when we need to say no, and it applies to a very positive action. For instance, there are some people who are takers. They take all they can get and give little if anything in return. They are self-centered and selfish. To do for them what they can and need to do for themselves is not loving or helping, but hurting them. It keeps us weak and reinforces their laziness and selfishness.

These people are so used to getting (manipulating to get) their own way that they don’t like taking no for an answer. Chances are they will try to make you feel guilty when you say no. If they do, a good answer is a line from the country-western song that says rather eloquently, “What part of no don’t you understand? … I’ll be glad to explain!”

Remember, too, we don’t need to justify ourselves when we say no. We just need to take a page out of Jesus’ book: “Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the wisdom to know if and when I am being used and the courage to say no. And when another pressures me to do something wrong, again give me the courage to say, ‘No, I won’t.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: For further help read, “Overcoming Codependency,” at: http://tinyurl.com/8p4t6

1. Galatians 6:4-5 (NKJV).

2. Matthew 5:37 (NLT).

You may have read how “when Sadhu Sundar Singh and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains. At one point they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help the unfortunate man, but his companion refused, saying, ‘We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him.’

“But Sundar Singh would not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion made his farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part, he bore the man onward, but gradually the heat from Singh’s body began to warm up the beleaguered frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead—frozen by the cold.

“In the case of Sundar Singh, he was willing to lose his life on behalf of another, and in the process, found it; but in the case of his companion who sought only his own well-being, he only lost it.”²

As the caption of the painting (housed at Girls and Boys Town National Headquarters in Nebraska) of the “Two Brothers” commissioned by Father Flanagan back in 1943, and copied from the original statue done in sandstone, says, “He ain’t heavy, Father … he’s m’ brother.”

When we treat a needy person who crosses our path as our brother (or sister), the rewards of carrying them until they can get on their own two feet will far outweigh the burden of the load.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to treat each person you bring into my life as a brother and/or sister and be willing to help them when they need a helping hand, to help lift their spirit when they need an encouraging word, and to help carry their load when it is too heavy for them to bear alone—as you have done for me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:2 (NIV).

2. Source Unknown

Did you know that an eagle knows when the storm is approaching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come.

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle doesn’t escape the storm; it simply uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the winds that bring the storm.

When the storms of life come upon us—and all of us will experience them—it may not be easy but we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief in Jesus, our God—and daily committing and trusting our life and way to Him. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God’s power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, but rather, how we handle them.²

As God’s Word says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”³ Admittedly, this can take time.

1. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV).

2. Today’s Daily Encounter was submitted by Dick Nichol who has since lost his wife through cancer. Author of the Eagle story unknown.

3. Romans 8:28 (NIV).

Ron Ledford reports how “each year thousands of tourists journey to Mount Rushmore National Memorial that is carved above the town of Keystone in southwestern South Dakota. It is there that the images of four of the great presidents of the United States are carved in granite.

“What the average tourist does not realize is the constant work that goes on to keep this giant sculpture from deteriorating. For one week in September workers go over this magnificent piece of art removing bird nests, pulling shrubs that have grown in the crevices in the rock. But the most important task of all is filling the hundreds of natural rock fissures that crisscross the executive figures. Workmen carefully fill these cracks with a special mixture of white granite dust, linseed oil, and white lead. If these fissures were left unattended, the autumn rains and melting snow could creep into the rock and freeze, thus shattering a president’s image.”²

Our life is like that too. We need to constantly be on guard against all things that in time, if not put away or cleaned up, could destroy our Christian walk and testimony, and eventually lead us far from God.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, help me to be aware of anything in my life that is not pleasing to you and is harmful to me and my testimony for you. Let your Spirit convict me of these things and lead me to confession and ‘cleaning up my act.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:30-31 (NIV).

2. Ron Ledford. Cited by King Duncan www.sermons.com.

Many readers will know about the story of Daniel in the lion’s den, how several hundred years B.C. he was taken captive, along with most of the ancient Israelites, to Babylon—the city reported to be about 60 miles south of Baghdad in Iraq.

“Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating …. And he could not sleep. At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den. When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, ‘Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?’

“Daniel answered, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions….’

“The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.

At the king’s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.”³

Had Daniel gone “kicking and screaming” into the lion’s den because of this gross injustice, chances are he would have been torn to pieces before he hit bottom. But he didn’t. He trusted God fully in the midst of this frightening situation. However, before Daniel was delivered out of the lions’ den, he was delivered in it—a lesson that God wants each of us to learn in whatever situation we find ourselves.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to learn to trust you and be faithful to you, as Daniel did, no matter what adverse circumstances I happen to find myself in, knowing that my life will always be in your hands. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Daniel 6:10 (NIV).

2. Daniel 6: 7 (NIV).

3. Daniel 6:6-24 (NIV).

Michael Josephson tells how “management guru Peter Drucker advocates a practice he calls planned abandonment. He stresses how important it is that managers develop the wisdom and courage to regularly review what the organization is doing and determine whether it’s worth doing. He urges executives to note and resist the systemic and emotional forces that make it difficult to abandon activities that drain resources, detract from central goals, or otherwise impede progress.”

This same principle needs to be applied, not only in the business world, but also to many areas of life. Some of us, for example, who are codependent need to come to our senses and abandon our neurotic need to rescue an addict from the natural consequences of his/her self-destructive behavior.

Sadly, some so-called Christian churches that teach a toxic type of religiosity that controls people and keeps them in the bondage of legalism also need to be abandoned.

Remember the religious people of Jesus’ day. They were expecting and waiting for their long-promised Messiah (Savior), but, because Jesus didn’t come the way they expected him to come and do what they expected him to do, they failed to recognize their Messiah when he came, rejected him, and had him crucified. They were blinded by their own man-made religious traditions and, instead of abandoning them, they clung to them tenaciously. How tragic.

Unfortunately, many are still doing this today.

If our religious beliefs and/or traditions are man-made and are not in harmony with God’s Word, we need to summon our courage to abandon them and come to Jesus, the Savior of the world, and follow him.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see any self-destructive behaviors I may have and give me the good sense and courage to abandon these ways. And if my beliefs and faith are not in harmony with your Word, please help me to see the truth, abandon my long-held misleading religious beliefs, and come to Jesus and follow him. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: For god’s way of salvation see “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. John 1:10-12 (NKJV).

Terry Fitzgerald Sieck shared how she “was in the habit of praying very specifically for what she wanted. She told God in great detail about the kind of job, the kind of husband, the kind of life that she envisioned for herself. And Terry was frequently frustrated. One day, a friend suggested that she try a different tack. Give God a blank sheet of paper, the friend suggested, and let God give you his list for your life.

“Not long afterwards, Terry went back to school—something she hadn’t anticipated doing. And she met a wonderful new man whom she eventually married. He didn’t fit the criteria of her earlier list, but he was everything she wanted in a husband. When Terry turned her life over to God’s will, God provided for her needs in ways she couldn’t have imagined.”²

There’s nothing wrong with asking God for what we would like, but to get prayers answered, they need to be in harmony with God’s will. And while “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers” (as the country song puts it), he often does give us the desires of our heart when we pray in harmony with his will.

I think God has a great sense of humor too. For instance, my last car had just under 200,000 miles on it. It was old but still okay for running around town, but I didn’t feel safe in driving it long distances anymore. For months I had been looking for a good bargain on a mid-size SUV (not a gas guzzling one) as I carry lots of stuff for our work. I prayed, “God, I don’t really need an SUV but it sure would be nice to have one.” Within two weeks I found a fabulous bargain on a year-old, low-mileage vehicle. I now own an SUV and have found it a great help in our work.

I think one of my son’s “prayers” was answered too. His vehicle was giving him all sorts of problems so I sold him my old car for $1.00—which he borrowed from us to pay for it!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you hear and answer my prayers. Thank you, too, for the times you haven’t answered my prayers according to my wishes which, if you had, it may have done me more harm than good. Help me to live and pray in harmony with your will so that I can be sure that you will answer my prayers one way or another. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: See article, “How to Pray Effectively” at: http://tinyurl.com/kb62w.

1. Matthew 7:11 (NIV).

2. Terry Fitzgerald Sieck, found in Stories of God’s Abundance for a More Joyful Life (Lancaster, PA: Starburst Publishers, 1999), pp. 196-198.

“In her autobiography Climbing Free, rock climber Lynn Hill shares the peril she faced in May 1989 while scaling a cliff face in France. As Hill reached the top of a 72-foot ledge, she leaned back into her harness to take a rest. Somehow, her rope wasn’t fully connected to her harness. When she leaned her weight on it, she fell backward into space. You can imagine how terrifying this was—falling through the air with nothing to catch her. Amazingly, she survived the fall.

“As an expert in her field, Hill relied fully on her equipment. She had every expectation that her harness would support her full weight. Her experience illustrates the dangers of putting your faith in something that may fail.”²

Many of us have learned the folly of putting our trust in others who let us down, or in accountants who adjusted their books to make their company look good on the stock market, or in the stock market itself—or in a broker who stole his clients’ entire retirement funds (of whom I am one of the victims).

Living in this world we are going to be let down at times. We can’t always avoid it. But the most important thing in life is that we don’t put our trust in a false god or a false religion and discover too late that when we come to the end of life’s journey, we had not put our trust in the Living God and his only way of salvation. We can trust in man-made religions, our own interpretation of the way to heaven, or we can trust in Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me.”³ And again, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven [than that of Jesus] given among men by which we must be saved.”⁴

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the name of Jesus—the one through whom you have provided mankind’s only way of salvation. And thank you that I can trust fully in your Word knowing that you will never let me down. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: See God’s way of salvation at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Psalm 146:3-4 (NIV).

2. James B. Meigs, “Extreme Living,” O, The Oprah Magazine, July 2002, pp. 35-37.

3. John 14:6 (NIV).

4. Acts 4:12 (NKJV).

In his book, Empires of the Mind, Dennis Waitley shared how “in the 1920s, when Ernest Hemingway was working hard to perfect his craft, he lost a suitcase containing all his manuscripts—many stories he’d laboriously polished to jewel-like perfection—which he’d been planning to publish in a book. The devastated Hemingway couldn’t conceive of redoing his work. He could think only of the months he’d devoted to his arduous writing—and for nothing, he was now convinced.

“But when he lamented his loss to the poet Ezra Pound, Pound called it a stroke of luck. Pound assured Hemingway that when he rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts; only the best material would reappear. Instead of framing the event in disappointment, Pound cast it in the light of opportunity. Hemingway did rewrite the stories—and the rest, as they say, is history. He became one of the major figures in American literature.”²

For those who daily commit their life to Christ, our disappointments, as another has said, are God’s appointments in that he wants to use every adverse circumstance to help us grow and become more mature and better persons.

Speaking personally, in much younger days it was when I was lying on my back on a hospital bed following an accident on a construction site that I “heard” the still small voice of God calling me to the work I am still doing today. Years later, it was a family crisis that led me to leave my homeland of Australia—a situation that God has used to more than double my ministry. Like many of our readers, I could name many more disappointments to show how they were blessings in disguise and how God has used them to bless me more than I could have ever imagined.

He wants to do the same for you too. He will as you commit and trust your life and way to God every day for the rest of your life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I commit and trust my life and way to you and ask that you will use every disappointment in my life as your appointment. Turn each negative experience into a blessing, and use each one to make something beautiful out of my life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 8:28 (NIV).

2. Dennis Waitley, Empires of the Mind (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1995), p. 122.

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the world’s greatest musicians, was born into a musical family in Germany. As a child he spent many lonely hours practicing his music every day.

By the age of eleven he was already composing his own music and conducting an orchestra. In his late teens he went to Vienna for further study. There he reached fame, though not fortune.

I have read how, one evening, as he was out walking he passed a cobbler’s house where he heard someone inside practicing one of his compositions. As he stopped to listen he overheard a girl say that she wished she could hear a real musician play it properly.

Beethoven went into the house and, noticing the young lady at the piano was blind, offered to play the piece for her. He did so for her for more than an hour, and while he did, darkness fell and the lone candle in the room had gone out.

Outside in the night sky the moon shone brightly and sent its radiant beams glistening into the room where Beethoven sat playing beautiful music. He was so inspired by the appreciation of his music by the young lady and the beauty of the atmosphere in the room that he composed his famous “Moonlight Sonata.”

Do you ever feel that your dreams have been shattered and you feel all alone in the darkness of despair. I certainly have. However, when our life is truly committed to Christ, it’s in these “dark nights of the soul” when God is working in us to give us more understanding of life and compassion for others—and in time will bring back the music into our life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in my ‘dark nights of the soul’—even though I feel that you are far away—help me to see with my heart and know that you are at my side, and that you will never leave me or forsake me. And help me to ‘see’ that you are using my circumstances to help me become a better, healthier, and more whole person. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Job 35:10 (NIV).