Galatians 6:4-5

But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.

The speaker at the men’s conference called it “Dog Sniffing.” I’m sure you have had that uncomfortable encounter with someone’s dog when their pet places their nose where you would rather not have it placed. The reason they do it is simple enough—they are gathering information. From a simple sniff dogs can determine familiarity, mood, and even threat assessment. In short, they are sizing you up. The main speaker at the men’s conference I was at used the illustration to show us how we do the exact same thing. We ask questions and probe for information so that we can compare ourselves. If this person smarter than I am? Richer? More accomplished?

We should spend less time testing other people’s work and focus more on our own.

The “work” that Paul is referring to in this verse is our work specifically as Christians…our work with respect to the Body of Christ. Each believer is given at least one spiritual gift (1 Cor 12:7) and we are called to use them to the benefit of the Body. When we are focusing on other people’s sin—and even helping them bear that load as we saw last time—we can be tempted to evaluate ourselves in light of what others have or have not done. Paul is reminding all of us NOT to do that. Your friend may have a speck in his or her eye, but you should pay more attention to the log that may be in your own (Mt 7:4).

Don Anderson has an interesting comment on this. “Just as the Lord is going to put our works as believers to the test when we appear before Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ, so in anticipation of that time we ought to be testing our own works to see whether they are wood, hay and stubble…or gold, silver, and precious stones. What the Apostle Paul is asking of us here is that we prepare ourselves for the final examination by a lot of little pop quizzes along the way. Paul is asking us to CRITICIZE OURSELVES—put ourselves to the test rather than to spend our time criticizing others.”  Amen to that.

Finally, there is that “load” Paul mentions. In the previous verses he was calling us to be willing to carry one another’s burdens…but in this verse, he is reminding us that there are some loads that must remain in our sole possession…and our handling of these will be examined at the Judgment Seat. In short, it is bearing our part of the Kingdom Work that is on-going until Christ returns. The word for load is phortion and it describes the pack that a soldier must carry. There are certain Christian responsibilities or burdens each believer must bear which cannot be shared with others. Jesus assured His disciples, however, that such burdens were light (Mt 11:30) because the real power to carry them would be found in the Holy Spirit…and that is wonderful news.

So…be sober-minded in your self-assessment and diligent in the Kingdom work that only YOU can do!