TOUGH WORK

Galatians 6:1-5
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

We Harvest What We Plant

1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Is there any tougher part of being a believer than exhortation? Friends, family, co-workers err and need correction. That can be tough work. People sin and need “exhortation”. That’s usually excruciating work. Balancing justice and grace, consequences and forgiveness, restitution and restoration can be confusing. When believers are angry at and/or disappointed in the offender, the situation becomes even tougher.

Before exhorting anyone, the believer needs to engage in self-examination. People fail, and believers are often compelled to intervene and deal with the consequences. Paul reminds us, gentle restoration handled by spiritual individuals defines the biblical approach to this very tough part of being a believer.