BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin,
you who live by the Spirit should restore that person
gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”
(Galatians 6:1)
MEDITATION:
God’s Word gives us good news…a brother or sister can be restored!
Our God is the God of the second chance. That should be encouraging
news to everyone, and especially followers of Jesus Christ. Why?
Because after we have been saved, our fleshly desires do not disappear.
Consequently, there will be times when we stumble and fall prey to sin.
It is not something that we want to do in our ‘spiritual self’, but it is a
result of our allowing sin to rise above the Spirit’s control of our lives,
which puts us on a path that is in opposition to God’s desires for us.
It is not something that should surprise us because when we read
the scriptures, we see that it was the same struggle that other
followers of Christ experienced. Look at how Paul described
this struggle between ‘flesh’ and ‘Spirit’ in his own life.
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,
sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For
what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is
good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin
living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me,
that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not
want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not
want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me
that does it.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is
right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s
law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against
the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of
sin at work within me.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body
that is subject to death?
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our
Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law,
but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
(Romans 7:14-25)
Can’t you just see and feel the struggle that Paul was, not only
experiencing, but one that he recognized as a conflict between
good (spiritual) and evil (flesh). He knew that the force that was
winning (spirit or flesh) in his life, was a result of what was in
control of his mind.
Paul gives us a clear indication of his spiritual desire to ‘do good’
and ‘avoid evil’ but he was honest, and almost perplexed that the
reverse would happen in his life at times. However, Paul tells us
that when he was ‘doing what he did not want to do’, it was sin in
his life that had taken control of his mind, and it was devastating
him mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and maybe even physically.
It was also causing damage to his ‘spiritual self-esteem’. Look at
what he said, “What a wretched man I am!”. This is the same man
who was persecuting Christians until God met him on the road to
Damascus and changed his life forever.
Think about the magnitude of the change in his life – God changed
him from persecuting Christians to preaching the gospel in an effort
to ‘create’ more Christians. Why in the world would this ‘man of God’
have this kind of struggle? It magnifies the power of Satan and his
temptations in our life, doesn’t it?
What kind of ‘things’ did Paul do that he did not want to do? We don’t
know, and its probably because the details are not important when God
wants to emphasize the presence and power of sin that still exists in our
lives after we have been given His salvation.
What are the ‘things’ that he wanted to do, that he didn’t? Again we
don’t know, but what we know is that it was happening in his life.
When we read, and re-read the struggle in Paul’s life we can get the
feeling that he was so frustrated over his ‘spiritual frailty’ that he
was ready to give up and become a slave to sin, since it appeared
he was destined to live a life that leads to death, and not one that
leads to a life with the Lord.
Do you think Paul wanted to overcome this battle in his life? Of course
he did, and we can see it in his words. But Paul did not give up doing
what God called him to do. What kept him going? How did he continue
to be motivated to do God’s work and find a type of peace in the midst
of his struggles?
Paul didn’t leave us ‘hanging’ and wondering if victory over sin
was possible. In the last part of the scriptures in Romans, he
makes it clear that he relied on God to help him.
Thanks be to God, who delivers me
through Jesus Christ our Lord!
(Romans 7:25a)
Paul accepted the fact that this struggle would continue and
since the battle was for control of his mind, he would force
his mind to focus on, and become a “slave to God’s law”. In
other words, when he would feel the battle rising in his mind,
he would choose to think about how God had saved him, and
focus on God’s expectations of him, in order to prevent giving
in to the sinful nature that still existed within him.
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s
law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
(Romans 7:14-25)
When we read about Paul’s struggle, we need to ‘bring it home’
to our own lives. Do we have the same struggles Paul had? How
are we handling the battles for control of our minds? Do we just
‘roll over’ and allow our fleshly desires to take control, or do we
make a choice to focus on God’s goodness, His blessing of giving
us salvation, and the tasks He has called us to do?
God gave each of us a ‘spiritual gift’ for a reason. It is His gift to
us for helping us to serve him out of our thankfulness for what
He has given us.
When we have these struggles, which of the following two would
help us the most? Would it be someone (another believer) who
cares about us and wants to love and help us to overcome and
be restored in our fellowship with the Lord? Or, would it be
another Christian who compares their spirituality with ours
and considers us to be a failure in our Christian walk?
The answer is obvious, isn’t it? Those who condemn us are
usurping God’s position as judge, and it is not following
what Jesus commanded us to do
“do to others as we would want them to do to us”.
Those who lovingly and gently help us in our efforts to be
restored are the ones who are aware that the battle we are
having, is the same kind of battle they have also had, they
are having, or they will have.
As a result, their loving and helping us, is also helping them
either in overcoming now, or in preparation for overcoming
in the future. Sometimes that ‘other person’ is the one loving
and helping us, but at other times we are ‘that other person’
(and we have been instructed to restore others gently).
If Paul had these struggles and others have these same battles,
then if we condemn them, we are also condemning ourselves
because we have had these same types of struggles, or we will
have them at some point in our lives.
Do you know somebody
who has been overtaken by temptation and fallen?
The Bible says we are to restore that person. “Restore” can
mean to set a bone that has been broken, or to mend a net
that has been torn by “restoring them gently”. It is too easy
to view others as a failure, and in some cases, become
offended by their actions when they have a direct
impact on our own lives.
That person who has backslidden has been broken, and they
have a burden, because their relationship with God has been
damaged. They need someone to remind them of God’s love
and forgiveness. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to
have a willingness to “gently” relieve them of their burden.
How do we do that? By not judging them, but by showing them
that we still love them, and reminding them that God does too!
When we do that, we are obeying another one of God’s commands.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up according to
their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
(Ephesians 4:29)
Many want to say, “I am saved, and that is all that matters”.
Being saved is critical, but God’s Word tells us many times
that it is not “all that matters”. God saved us for a purpose
and part of that purpose is for us be sensitive to, and look
for opportunities to help other believers in their time of need.
And we know that in all things God works for the
good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of his will, (Ephesians 1:11)
for it is God who works in you to will and to act
in order to fulfill his good purpose.(Philippians 2:13)
He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because
of anything we have done but because of his own purpose
and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before
the beginning of time. (2 Timothy 1:9)
If we choose to be condescending to those who have “fallen”
and not put forth any effort to restore them, then we are in
fact allowing our fleshly desires to gain greater control of
our lives (which enslaves us to the things in opposition to God).
But now that you know God—or rather are known
by God—how is it that you are turning back to those
weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved
by them all over again? (Galatians 4:9)
ACTION:
When you see a fallen brother or sister, it is not a call to gossip,
it is not a call to berate them, it is not a call to shame them, but
it is a call to pray for them and to ‘love’ them back into a closer
fellowship with our God of mercy, grace, and forgiveness.
When we fail to forgive them, and instead treat them harshly,
we are sending a message that, since we are followers of Jesus,
and we have not forgiven them, God will not forgive them either;
also, that He will treat them harshly without any existence, or
evidence of love. However, His Word tells us that He is a God
of love, because He is the definition of love.
Whoever does not love does not know
God, because God is love. (John 4:8)
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me if I have chosen the wrong
response whenever I have seen the fall of another Christian.
Remind me if I have been guilty of taking their fall personally,
and responded from my viewpoint instead of Yours. Erase any
bitterness or bad feelings in my attitude and help me to show
love to them, so they will know that You love them too. And,
help me to forgive them as a reminder that You forgive them
too.”
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