Wednesday, October 29, 2014

From time to time, I have brought to the attention of certain people in my life, a bad habit they have and don't always see or are willing to admit. I am referring to the practice of making excuses for others, especially those who are near and dear to us. Some of you who are reading this blog today are like that, but before you get huffy with me let me remind you that I have been accused of doing it too. And while we have to be very careful how we bring faults to the attention of our friends and loved ones, to not do it at all is to harm them even more. Yes, I know, trying to be a good Christian is not always easy.
I was thinking of this recently as I reread Galatians 6:1 which says: "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." I used the King James Version here because I feel it is the one which describes the situation more correctly. The first thing we notice is that Paul was not speaking about willful sins but of the wrongs that Christians commit without realizing the seriousness involved. I will try to be more specific.
Here are but a few random things we can bring to the attention of others: How they treat others, their faithfulness and loyalty to God and to their duties and responsibilities, and their obligations to others at home, work, or church, and believe it or not, how faithful they are in their giving. If we know any that are lacking in these three, or a few other areas, and say nothing, we may be depriving them of the blessings, joy, and victories they may have had otherwise. We can play a part in their being restored. Whatever the fault may be, if it is hurting their testimony and minimizing their effectiveness for God and if they are offending or harming others by doing so, and assuming we have prayed about it beforehand, it is time to take action. If we do it the right way, it will have positive results. And if for some strange reason, we're the ones who are corrected, the Lord will help us to receive it like mature Christians, and it will be helpful to us in the end.

Memory verse for the week: (Romans 12:2) "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."