When To Help And Not Help

Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:5
for each one should carry their own load.

Seems contradictory but it is not. There are burdens we must help each other with. There are loads no one should help anyone carry. Each one should carry their own loads. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

The Greek terms used in verses 2 and 5 are different. Verse 2 refers to an overwhelming burden that crushes down an individual and unless assisted they can’t make it alone. Verse 5 refers to the regular portion that each soldier carries to war. An assignment that each one has an equal measure. We should help those who are overwhelmed but we should let everyone deal with their regular portions of duties. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

The context of this command is in dealing with sin, though as a principle it applies in all aspects of life. When someone is caught in a sin, it can be overwhelming. The shame and the embarrassment are too much to bear. The Bible tells us that those who are spiritual would carefully help those who are overwhelmed in sin. This is opposing the tendency of some people who think being spiritual is exposing the sinner and condemning them. The Bible says, help them gently, and be careful, you may think you are so spiritual and you fall into the same sin. Help those who are overwhelmed in sin and guilt.

Certain aspects of sin, require personal responsibility to overcome. If the wrong company led you to steal or abuse drugs and now you are embarrassed when caught in a sin, we will help you in addressing shame and embarrassment. You have to help yourself by cutting communication with the misleading gang. We can bear your burden of shame and guilt, but you must carry your own load of cutting off communication and access to temptation. There is where we can help because it is overwhelming, but there is what only you can do. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

We can plead with your school to take you back, but you must now change your habits and work hard to deserve the second chance in that school. There is what we can do and what you should do for yourself. We can plead for you to be forgiven, but you must discipline your mouth not to lead you to another altercation that led you in trouble. Where you are overwhelmed we have a responsibility to help, but what you must do, you will have to do without our help. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

We must help carefully. Helping can be addictive. If we do not know where to help and where to stop, we can destroy individuals by helping them. Once people get addicted to being helped in what they should do, we have ruined them for life. We should know when to help and when to let each one carry their own load. Before helping we must be sure if this is an overwhelming or routine assignment. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

When there are short deadlines and overwhelming work we can help a colleague. But we shouldn’t help a lazy colleague who just doesn’t do their work. They must learn to do their job. When someone is confused about the next course of action, we can advise but we cannot make decisions for them. There is what we can do and what we cannot do even if we can. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

We have a Christian duty to immediately and gently help those who are overwhelmed. We also have a God-given duty to keep off until individuals learn to bear their own loads. We must always seek to establish what is a regular assignment and what is overwhelming. God will not bless us for helping people with their personal responsibilities. God only blesses us when we help people who are overwhelmed. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

Death and funerals are overwhelming. Failure and loss can be overwhelming. Rejection, separation, and divorce can be overwhelming. Guilt, embarrassment, and shame can be overwhelming. Disease can be overwhelming. But going to work is personal responsibility, it should not be overwhelming. Accepting a low job for the sake of income requires personal adjustment. Waking up early to do your assignment should not be overwhelming. Persevering the rigors of school and training requires personal adjustment and shouldn’t be overwhelming. Adjusting to marital non-threatening conflict is personal and shouldn’t be overwhelming. Having a budget that fits your income should not be overwhelming. Moving from high life to moderate life or low to manage your money needs personal adjustment and is not overwhelming. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

We are responsible for destroying people either way. When they are overwhelmed and we do not help them, we are responsible for the harm they get. When we make people addicted to being helped, yet they should have dealt with these things at a personal level, we are responsible for the consequences of their addiction. Before helping, make an assessment. This is a command of when to help and when not to help!

Dear God, we do not know when to help, and when not to help, help us in distinguishing these two situations. Be our help all the time. Save us from getting addicted to being helped where we can do things for ourselves. Help us to be prompt in helping those who are overwhelmed. We need your help in all these, in Jesus’ name, Amen!