Gently Restored
gently Restored
“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
What do you do when you hear about someone else sinning?
How about when they sin against you?
Sometimes we are tempted to attack the sinner and destroy them. Sometimes we are tempted to avoid them so we aren’t associated with them or so we don’t have to deal with it.
It’s interesting to see the difference between how Jesus and the Pharisees treated people. The Pharisees labeled people sinners and avoided them. Jesus ate with sinners and offered forgiveness. Jesus doesn’t ignore sin, He gently restores people through forgiveness.
That’s what Jesus wants us to do, too, gently restore people. We may need to challenge a sin, but the intent isn’t to destroy or beat up, it’s to restore the person through repentance and forgiveness.
Watch Yourselves!
What does it mean that we should watch ourselves lest we be tempted? There are lots of temptations that come with dealing with someone who sins. There’s the temptation to become involved in their sin. We may also be tempted towards self-righteousness (as if our sins are better than theirs). We may be tempted to gossip. We may be tempted to ignore the sin and let our brother continue drowning in it because we feel uncomfortable.
There are many temptations to avoid, but God still wants us to deal with the sin of our brothers and sisters and He wants to do it gently with the intent of restoring them…just like we would like to be gently restored when we sin.
Dear Jesus,
Please forgive me when I sin. Please give me wisdom when dealing with the sin of others. Help me to see them as you do, as Your precious child and seek to restore them gently.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
The Other Six
How To Use These Posts
The Other Six is a short, daily devotional blog post. You can use these posts for personal devotions, however, I’m also going to write them in such a way that you could use them for family devotions. I’ll include a Bible verse, questions and/or discussion points, and a closing prayer. I highly encourage you to do these devotions with your family or friends if possible.
Enjoy!
