“But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden” (Galatians 6:4,5).

Every Christian will bear the responsibility of his own personal life of service before God. How well did he do the will of God? How well did he serve his Lord? “But let every man prove his own work.” “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10). “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). When we stand before Christ, we will give an account of our own work, not someone else’s. We cannot serve, obey, or submit for another; neither can they for us. Every man shall bear his own burden.

The same Greek word for burden in the above text is also found in Matthew 11:29,30: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; . . . For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This shows once again that the burden we must bear before God is the yoke of service and obedience to Christ. The yoke is not too heavy to carry. In fact, the yokes of Satan are far heavier for the world to bear than anything the Lord Jesus would ask His child to shoulder. The words “easy” and “light” are descriptive of this fact. What God calls the Christian to do he can do because he is yoked to Christ. “Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted [well-pleasing] of Him” (II Corinthians 5:9).

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide . . . he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (I Corinthians 3:13–15). NPS