Grace Church

When a brother or sister in the Lord falls into sin we are to gently and humbly restore them. One of the commentaries I read refers to the restoring as “like setting a joint” that has been dislocated. We should be tender and compassionate, nursing them back to health, becoming Jesus’s hands that nurture and love them. I am to be an expression of His heart to a brother or sister that is being restored. Often I expect change to have happened in myself and others instantly. I get impatient at the slowness of the progress. I have a timetable in my mind and it is usually is set on “fast forward”.

Thankfully, God never gets tired of me or anyone else and has /the/ timetable that is the perfect time needed. And there’s a warning for us, too. We are to examine our own hearts for sin and not to think too highly of ourselves as we are helping another. It reminds me of Kendrick’s teaching about the word “crises” having the Chinese character for “danger” and “opportunity” together. There’s an opportunity to help another break free from sin and there is the danger of us thinking too highly of ourselves and falling into the sin of pride as we are helping another.