Shortly after coming to Christ, Sadhu Sundar, a Hindu convert to Christ, felt called to become a missionary to India. Late one afternoon Sadhu was traveling on foot through the Himalayas with a Buddhist monk. It was bitterly cold, and the night was approaching fast. The monk warned Sadhu that they were in danger of freezing to death if they did not reach the monastery before darkness fell.

Just as they were traversing a narrow path above a steep cliff, they heard a cry for help. Down the cliff lay a man, fallen and badly hurt. The monk looked at Sadhu and said, "Do not stop. God has brought this man to his fate. He must work it out for himself." As he turned to walk away, he added, "Let us hurry on before we, too, perish." But Sadhu replied, "God has sent me here to help my brother. I cannot abandon him."

The monk continued trudging off through the whirling snow...while the missionary clambered down the steep embankment. The man's leg was broken, and he could not walk. Sadhu took his blanket, made a sling of it and tied the man on his back. Then, bending under his burden, he began a body-torturing climb.

Though faint with fatigue and overheated from exertion, he persevered. Finally, he was able to see the lights of the monastery.
Then, for the first time, Sadhu stumbled...but not from weakness. He had stumbled over an object lying on the snow-covered road...the body of the monk --- frozen to death.

Years later a disciple of Sadhu's asked him, "What is life's most difficult task?"

Without hesitation Sadhu replied: "To have NO burden to carry."

Very often, we get so consumed and busy with our own lives and survival that we don't take the time to stop along the way to help those in need. Consequently, we not only miss out on being obedient to Christ, we also miss out on what He wanted to do in our lives through that particular situation.

Luke 17:33 says, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it." God rewards those who are willing to give of their lives by giving of their time and resources to help those in need. These rewards may not always be seen immediately but are always manifested when it counts.

I challenge you today to always look for opportunities to share God's love even when it's an inconvenience or a step of faith.

Dear Lord, Help me to always see and respond to the opportunities to lighten the burdens of those around me.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.