“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3: 23) This statement is not only a wonderful encouragement for us to always be aware of the grandeur of God's glory which is around us all the time, but it is also a sobering and timely reminder for us not to think more highly of ourselves than we should because, as they say, "we ain't all that." Unfortunately, in this bewildering and mind-numbing age that we live in where a mindset of devilish pride and unrestrained lust has been normalized, the world’s operational mode is based on the premise that says, “I LOVE ME SOME ME” and "IF IT FEELS GOOD, DO IT." Sadly, this twisted mentality has warped our collective consciousness and what was once deemed shameful is now considered admirable and respectful.
For instance, the mean-spirited actions of people in positions of power, the unabashed celebration and consumption of alcohol and drugs, the provocative and perverted performances in parades and public displays, the demonstration of lewd and disturbing acts along with vulgarity and profanity presented through visual and auditory mediums such as social media, television, movies, podcasts, video games, etc. All are clear indicators of a society that has malignantly mutated into institutions of immorality. But the day is coming when the Lord God Almighty will clean house and regulate this nonsense once and for all. “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.” (Isaiah 2: 11-12)
However, in the meantime this world continues to think so highly of itself that even the evolved custom of bragging has been elevated to an art form becoming not only commonplace but encouraged and expected. We see that this distasteful projection of personal promotion is just as evident in songs, stories and sports as it is in paintings, politics and even pulpits and pews. Because of the deterioration of modern mankind’s modesty and morality, we servants of the Most High must be very sober and alert to the fact that this kind of pompous self-portrayal will land us on God’s hit-list of undesirable attributes: “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6: 16-19)
We know that an excessive ego is a destroyer and a divider, so don't be deceived into thinking that confidence and arrogance are the same thing. Be assured that confidence is one thing, but arrogance is something else completely. And it certainly is not something that is conducive to us effectively performing our God-given task to be helpers of each other. “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. Warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 11 & 1:4)
Therefore, in order to comply with this biblical mandate, what we need is the stability of maturity, but not at the cost of humility. "...and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." (1 Peter 5: 5) As in Christ’s message to the church of Ephesus in St. John’s revelation vision, a church that evidently worked hard and probably felt pretty good about themselves, He said, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2: 4-5)
We have to keep ourselves in check and on track because the truth is that we are nothing without God. He created us and knows us better than we think we know ourselves. “For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.” (Psalm 103: 13) Anything good in us is not because of us but because of God. Therefore, we need to make sure that we have rid ourselves of all traces of haughtiness because ultimately God’s love must be free to rule the day. And if we are free to love one another with God’s love then we will always treat one another with dignity, respect, kindness, patience and compassion because the uplifting of our brethren is infinitely more important than uplifting ourselves. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” (Philippians 2: 3-4)
When we are in the mode of helping others, particularly those in the household of faith, there is no room for conceited condescension, petty patronizing or spiritual snobbishness. The manner and attitude we employ in assisting those in need is important, so in addition to the Lord’s direction for us to do all things decently and in order, we are also commanded to “Let all things be done unto edifying.” (1 Corinthians 14: 26) We acknowledge that we all have our own individual struggles and we all will need help and prayer at one time or another. But that is what the purpose of the body of Christ is for. To love, support and assist one another. That means, first and foremost, we are required to be good examples.
And since we have the greatest example of goodness of all time, who is none other than Jesus Christ the Righteous, it is His example that we should follow. And that example is beautifully described for us in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke with a story about a man commonly known as the rich young ruler. The Bible tells us that this person was very wealthy and, according to his own estimation of himself, had followed most of God’s commandments from the time that he was young. But Jesus knew that though this young man did some things well, just like the church in Ephesus he still had a significant problem. He had an inflated assessment of himself and an inordinate affection in his possessions. And again, like the church in Ephesus, he needed help with wise, straight-forward and empathetic counsel. Both the church and the young man needed to hear the truth in love if they were to have any chance to obtain real treasure in heaven. But before the Lord issued the help that was badly needed, we see that He did something marvelous. He didn’t despise or belittle the young man but instead, scripture says, “Then Jesus beholding him loved him…” (Mark 10: 21)
This incredible example of divine devotion is a clear indication that we must love first and then help with that love. Because what good is help without love? As stated in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthian church, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13: 1-3)
So when the times come where a Brother or a Sister becomes involved, entrapped or imprisoned by something and it needs to be addressed for their soul’s sake, we are taught not to badger them relentlessly, judge them harshly or punish them mercilessly. We are to follow the Lord’s example and obey His Word in how to help them. “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.” (Galatians 5: 1) And since these blessed instructions are so wonderful, a deeper dive into the components that make up this pearl of wisdom is definitely deserved.
To start with, when we do as directed in this passage, we recognize Paul’s first word is “Brethren.” This tells us to remember and consider that it is our brother or our sister that we will be talking to. Just that acknowledgement and understanding in itself should set the stage for how we should proceed. There is an old adage which says, “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” A lot of truth in this, but let’s see what God says about what kind of reaction you can expect to elicit if your style is too aggressive or abrasive. “Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.” (Proverbs 30: 33) “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.” (Proverbs 15: 1-2)
Don’t’ let your attitude and your tongue be used as weapons, even inadvertently. Study to be quiet and when you do have to speak, speak righteously. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4: 29) Remember, the goal is restoration. This is difficult to achieve if we put people on the defensive by a hostile or dismissive approach. “A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.” (Proverbs 18: 19) Now this is not to suggest that you can’t be bold, firm, solemn or very serious as the occasion dictates. Just not abusive, degrading, insulting or hurtful. So think about this ….. How would you want someone to come to you if you needed help with a problem, even if you weren’t aware that you had a problem? True love straightens out all of this.
A good example of evoking a negative response to callous comments is described in a story found in the books of Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament. It tells us that King Solomon, prior to his death, employed some heavy-handed tactics of taxation and unpaid labor on some of the people he ruled over. When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam was then slated to become King. At his coronation Rehoboam was asked to reconsider and reduce the level of severity that his Father had imposed. They pleaded with the new King to make some more tolerable adjustments for the sake of the people. They said, “Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee.” (2 Chronicles 10: 12)
To decide on what type of response he should give to them, Rehoboam consulted both his senior and junior advisors. The advice of the older counsellors was, “If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants for ever.” (2 Chronicles 10: 7) But the advice of the younger counsellors was contrary to the aged ones and they urged him to use threatening language and say, “…My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. For whereas my father put a heavy yoke upon you, I will put more to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” (2 Chronicles 10: 10-11)
Unfortunately, Rehoboam chose his younger associate’s suggested rougher response which resulted in the country being divided into 2 separate kingdoms for the next 200 or so years. Regretfully, instead of cultivating an environment that was favorable for restoration and healing, his damaging dialogue planted the seeds of division which launched them into a national divorce and ultimately a civil war.
Now, in the interest of complete transparency, this separation would have occurred no matter what Rehoboam did or did not say because it was prophesied to happen in 1 Kings 11: 28-40 as a result of the sins of King Solomon (1 Kings 11: 1-13). However, this example of Rehoboam’s cold, cruel words was chosen to illustrate the method by which God used to cause the country’s split. They should serve to demonstrate that words do matter.
It has been said that “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” The truth is that words can and do hurt, so we must be careful how we use them. May our words always bless and not bruise. As stated in the Book of Proverbs, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 18: 21 NASB) There is a question that has been asked of a suffering people that says, "Is there no balm in Gilead...?" (Jeremiah 8: 22) I proclaim to you that yes, there is a balm in Gilead, and it heals all wounds. Thank God through His Son Jesus Christ that we have the comfort, strength and joy of the Holy Ghost to soothe us from the vicious vocabulary of violent, mean-spirited people and keep us in that pleasurable place of perfect peace despite the raging rhetoric of Satan’s supporters.
Now back to the subject of helping someone who has been overtaken in a fault. The next part of these divine instructions are crucial. They identify who God is specifically talking to when it says, “…ye which are spiritual...” (Galatians 6: 1) The Lord limits this task of helping overtaken brethren to those whom He says are “spiritual.” This is because any individual that has been overtaken in a fault doesn’t need you, they need the God that is in you. Therefore, we must strive to be sure we are reflecting the light and love of Jesus in our daily lives at all times. Never excuse yourself for any instance of acting or speaking inappropriately, but challenge yourself to constantly and consistently represent Jesus in a manner that He would be pleased. A manner worthy of being called an ambassador for Christ.
Continuing on, the text then instructs us to , “…restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.” (Galatians 6: 1) This is why only spiritual ones are qualified to help. And what is the spirit of meekness? As you know, meekness is one of the 9 attributes of the Holy Spirit as listed in Paul’s epistle to the Galatians. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance.” (Galatians 5: 22-23) And that there be no misunderstanding, do not think that meekness means weakness. To the contrary. Properly defined, the word meekness means “humility, courtesy, considerateness and strength under control.” Do you think for one minute that Jesus, the One Who described His own self as meek, didn't have strength under control?
Consider this. When Judas Iscariot led that murderous mob into the garden to arrest Jesus, Peter attempted to defend Him by drawing his sword and cutting off the right ear of one of the arresting party. Jesus restrained Peter and then healed the ear of the wounded person. Jesus then reminded them all of the power He possessed and said, "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26: 53) How's that for strength under control? The ultimate expression of meekness. It's not about what we have the ability to do to someone, but about how much we want to lovingly help someone.
If we are to truly help someone return to being Christ-like, or to initially become Christ-like, it will certainly have to be with an attitude and demeanor of non-aggression and not in an atmosphere of contentious compulsion. “…walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.” (Ephesians 4: 1-2) Again, Jesus Himself told us to “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart…” (Matthew 11: 29) This is the same Jesus that voluntarily left his exalted place in heaven, humbled himself to live as a human, suffered and died for our sins, rose again for our redemption, has prepared for us an eternal dwelling place and is currently sitting on the right hand of God making intercession for us awaiting the end of all things. So if Jesus was meek and lowly, then let's learn the lesson He taught us and be as He is.
Finally, the Word says “…considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” You are a prime target for the devil, therefore the process of perpetual self-examination is necessary for continual course corrections if we are to have any credibility when attempting to convince someone else to fix a problem. As it is written, “…why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7: 3-4) We have work to do on ourselves before we can go to work on someone else. “…first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” (Matthew 7: 5)
So let us continue to examine ourselves, making sure we keep our walk consecrated and to “…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1: 3) Continue to move forward and grow in grace in the power of the Holy Ghost. By doing this we will be able to fulfill what God calls the two most important commandments of all: “...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12: 29-31) And that’s because everything else written in God’s Word hangs on, is encapsulated and dependent upon these two principles. And the one common denominator that binds these two powerful principles together is love.
It has been said that when filled with God's love, we can do and see and understand things that we could not otherwise do or see or understand. Filled with His love, we can endure pain, we can quell fear, we can forgive freely. We can avoid contention, renew strength, and then bless and help others in ways surprising even to ourselves. So continue to help others as God gives you opportunity. And continue to do it in the “more excellent way” that Jesus has shown us. And since Jesus is the way, we know for a surety that the “more excellent way" is the way of His love. “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is “love.” (1 Corinthians 13: 13)
Again, when you love someone help them, and when you help them, love them. “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5: 1-2)
Praise God Almighty through His Son Jesus Christ that when we need it, He has already provided us with what He has always been the supreme subject matter expert on and the absolute authority of which is, “the help of love.”
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