IF ONLY

I Was Just Thinking About – IF ONLY.

The following is copied from today’s devotional (December 1, 2016): Get More Strength For The Journey by Joseph Stowell. The title is: “What Can I Do To Help?” The text used is Galatians 6:1-2, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

The thought that occurred to me was IF ONLY the Body of Christ would act and react in the manner described by this text. A question raised is: What is our “first response when we encounter trouble in the life of someone else, especially when it’s the result of sin?”

The devotional continues: “It’s easy to want to blow off the problem so that we don’t have to get involved in it. We usually feel that we have enough burdens of our own and don’t need anyone else’s. Which makes it easy to respond with gossipy criticism like, “I knew it! That person has been headed for disaster for years.” Or we can’t wait to tell someone about the struggles of another, anxious to affirm our own self worth through a juicy tale or two. Other times our response is even more sinister. We give vent to a sense of self-righteous judgment: “That’s unbelievable! I certainly would never do that!” Why is it that seeing trouble in the lives of others so often gives way to a sense of religious superiority as we draw the conclusion that we are somehow more worthy and less in need of grace than the person in the ditch? It’s so easy to forget that as rebellious, disobedient people, none of us deserves God’s favor and blessing. We can’t miss what Paul is saying here. He gently reminds the Galatians that the responsibility of the believer, when faced with a sin-snared life, is to “restore.” Pause here for a moment. Paul doesn’t say to “condemn.” Paul doesn’t say, “Preach against.” He doesn’t say, “Tell someone else.” Rather, he tells us to ‘RESTORE.’ In fact, he tells us how to restore—‘GENTLY.’”

Think about the IF ONLY transparency situations in which you have been or are involved where the response has been anything anything but “RESTORE GENTLY!” I have seen and felt the pain of others (as well as my own) when transparency was attempted and “RESTORE GENTLY” was absent.

The devotional includes: “When a friend, loved one, family member, or fellow Christian is snared in sin, the first thing that should be on our lips is, “How can I help?” Paul goes on to remind us that we are all in need of grace—that we must be on guard, as well, against the same snares that entangle others. He also reminds us that “carrying one another’s burdens” is part and parcel of what it means to live as a Christ-follower.

Prayerfully – consider these things with me!