Tag: Galatians 6

Ramifications & Restorations

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 13 & 14

Poetry: Proverbs 2

New Testament: Galatians 6

The second day of school has traditionally been my rule day. In the midst of hearing about respect, responsibility and best efforts, students are surprisingly invited to leave the classroom.  “Did you know you don’t have to sit here and listen to me speak another word? In fact, you can leave. You can walk out right now…” Typically someone who I will get to know better as my class clown playfully walks to the door, and then I say, “but you have to deal with the consequences.” Then I lead students down the timeline of possible outcomes that lead to suspension, loss of friendships, poorer relationships at home, less opportunity in the future, and finally, on their deathbed alone, all because they chose to walk out of my class.  Thankfully, no one has ever walked out.

Amnon’s actions are far more sinister than walking out on his teacher.  Acting on his lust, he rapes his half-sister, both a violation and grievous sin against God’s law.  This comes with its own un-hyperbolic chain of tragic ramifications. For two years, his half-brother, Absalom, becomes consumed with calculating revenge. There is discord in the family tree designed after God’s own heart. Ultimately, Amnon’s disregard for divine laws leads to an untimely death. This is the havoc that sin can wreak, even in a single choice.

It is safe to say that most of our choices fall between leaving a classroom without permission and Amnon’s sin. Likewise, the vast majority of time, the immediate consequence lies somewhere between a phone call home and death (although, quick note: all sin leads to death. Rom 3:23)  So how do we stay away from the edge of the slippery slope? Proverbs 2:1-5 gives us an insight:

“My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” 

The pursuit of wisdom from God is portrayed as a protective measure against the consequence of sin, serving as a shield and guide against temptation. It leads us far and away from destructive patterns or downfalls and moves us closer to our good intentions, but better yet, our good God.  

Furthermore, we do not have to fight sin or seek wisdom alone.  Paul beckons the family of God to be on the watch for one another. In Galatian 6 he states, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.” This means that offering wisdom to one another in the form of correction and accountability may halt the tragic dominos from falling or make a path forward to clean up the mess, “bearing one another’s burden.” In this way, Joab advises Absalom to deal with his own ramifications, temporarily restoring the rift in the line of David.

We must be diligent to seek God’s wisdom, especially when navigating temptation.  If the chips have already fallen, let the consequence be a sobering reminder that there is opportunity for restoration in God through Jesus Christ. Though it may still hurt in the present, be reminded that the sting and tears are conditions of mortality and not life eternal.  Likewise, let us pull alongside others who are battling, being gracious because of our own shortcomings, running to their defense and offering correction. In this way, we may avoid the siege that comes with a breached wall of will and choose the power of restoration through God’s wisdom and grace.

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

  1. Are you more intent upon seeking after wisdom or your own will? What can you do to pursue wisdom more?
  2. How can you be a part of someone else’s battle against temptation and their own will? How can you help, offering restoration with God, to one who is caught in their sin? Give specifics – name who, and your actions to free them from their deadly trap.
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What Will You Carry?

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 27 & 28

Psalms Reading: Psalm 90

*New Testament Reading: Galatians 6

In the beginning of this chapter, it seems Paul is almost contradicting himself, telling believers to carry one another’s burdens (v.2) but also to carry their own load (v.5 -HCSB).  When comparing translations, the NLT changes verse 5 to each being ‘responsible for their own conduct’, which really removes the discrepancy, especially when in context with the previous verse about focusing on oneself and not comparing.  Essentially Paul is writing: support other believers while doing your best and be responsible for your own behaviors. 

Paul is also sure to caution and encourage these believers; he reminds them that satisfying their sinful nature now will ultimately lead to death, but that living to please God will result in everlasting life (v.8).   In verse 1 he describes humbly and gently bringing believers from that sinful life back on the right path – and this of course makes sense when you know that the wrong path leads to death!  And Paul must know that living in this way will be challenging at times, as he immediately follows it with words of encouragement to not get tired of doing good, and a reminder of the blessing to be reaped to those who don’t give up (v.9).  But my favorite part is verse 10, where Paul says THEREFORE, do good to everyone, especially those in the family of faith!  Because living the life of a Christian is tiring at times, because it is challenging, and because there are temptations to give up, BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER.  

As fellow believers we know how hard it is to be a Christian, so it is up to us to share one another’s burdens, not create more obstacles and hardships through shallow competition of who “looks better” in the law.  Paul is telling the Galatians that their responsibility in the church is to support and build one another up, not comparing themselves, but working together to live a life that is called to be more than just following a law. 

You are part of a church, and, if you have made the commitment to be baptized and follow Christ, you are part of the Church!  You have a responsibility to fellowship, to support, to love and to live alongside your body of believers.  In today’s day of technology, you can meet this responsibility through online connections or in person.  There are church services you can stream, summer camps you can attend, online devotionals you can participate in… If you have not yet taken up that responsibility, this is your sign… get connected, because life is hard to do on your own! 

Questions:

Where do you feel connected in the church?  Are you satisfied with this level of connection?

Who in your church can you think of that may need their burdens shared?  Reach out to them!

Based on Paul’s writing today, what does his message tell you about who God is and what His expectations are for believers?

Prayer:

God, thank you for giving us a Church to be part of.  Today we pray that we find strength and support within our local body of believers, and we ask that you show us which believers are in need of a lighter load to bear on their own.  Thank you for making us new through your son, and allowing us the opportunity to reap a harvest of blessings.  In your son’s name, Amen.

Sarah Johnson

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Your Own Load

Saturday, August 13, 2022

 Galatians 6

“A young boy came across a butterfly cocoon and brought it into his house. He watched, over the course of hours, as the butterfly struggled to break free from its confinement. It managed to create a small hole in the cocoon, but its body was too large to emerge. It was tired and became still.

“Wanting to help the butterfly, the boy snipped a slit in the cocoon with a pair of scissors. But the butterfly was small, weak, and its wings crumpled. The boy expected the insect to take flight, but instead, it could only drag its undeveloped body along the ground. It was incapable of flying.

“The boy, in his eagerness to help the butterfly, stunted its development. What he did not know was that the butterfly needed to go through the process of struggling against the cocoon to gain strength and fill its wings with blood. It was the struggle that made it stronger.” https://www.lifeandwhim.com/first-moments-blog/2018/the-struggle-makes-you-stronger

The point of that story is that sometimes “helping” someone doesn’t really help them.  The first few times you try to do something new and different it’s quite probable that you won’t be very good at it.  Sometimes you need some extra help to get you going.  When a child is learning how to ride a bike they usually start with training wheels or a parent walking alongside them to keep them from falling.  They have to get used to the feel of peddling and how to get up to speed.  But eventually, the training wheels need to come off or the parent needs to let go.  Often, that may result in a wobbly ride or the child might even fall.  They might even skin their knee and that hurts.  But still, even at the risk of falling and skinning a knee, the training wheels need to come off if the child ever wants to learn how to ride the bike.  Sometimes, the loving thing to do is give the person the freedom to struggle, to fall down, to make a mistake.

This is true of children learning to ride a bike, and it’s true of Christians learning to live by the Spirit.  As we live as spirit-filled believers in the spirit filled-community, the Church, we will live fruitful lives. We will love, be at peace, be patient, kind, good, and gentle among other things (see Galatians 5).  We will live by the spirit, not by the flesh, except when we don’t.  Unfortunately, there are times when love gives way to hate, we become impatient, we aren’t kind, we do bad instead of good and we are harsh instead of gentle.  There are times when we fall down in our faith and we need a hand to get back up again.  When a member of the community falls beneath the weight of a burden, Paul says that others in the community should gently lend a hand and help them back up again.  We should not be harsh with the one who has fallen and remind ourselves that we too could also fall and need a hand up.

Sometimes Christians do dumb things that are completely against what we believe.  Sometimes the best of us let temptation get the worst of us.  Think of King David, the man after God’s own heart, who committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife and then arranged to have her husband killed in an attempt to cover up the sin.  Certainly not the finest moment for an otherwise godly man. 

 Paul doesn’t want us to be morally lax and intentionally sin against God.  He just finished telling the Galatians to walk by the spirit and not by the flesh.  But when we do fall, we need others to help us back up again.  And the rest of us need to be ready to help the one who has fallen to get back up and on their feet.    Paul here balances burdens and loads.  We are to help others with burdens, but we are to manage our own loads.  Sometimes people get handed something overwhelmingly heavy that they can’t carry on their own, we should help them. At the same time, we each have normal daily loads which we are expected to carry.  We have jobs to do, and responsibilities at home to do.  We have ministry responsibilities to carry out.  We each need to keep up with our daily loads.  I should not expect you to do my regular responsibilities.  If I’m the pastor and it’s my job to preach, then most Sundays I need to be preaching.  Once in a while, I take a Sunday away from preaching- vacation or other ministry responsibilities may take me away for a week here and there and I’ll need someone else to do the preaching for me that week, but most Sundays I carry my preaching load.  The only exception to this for me was after I had surgery for cancer a few years ago. I took off about 4 Sundays in a row while I was recovering.  That was an unusual burden.  I was not able to carry that burden for a few weeks and others helped.

We shouldn’t do other people’s daily loads for them because it keeps them from flourishing and getting stronger.  It would be like cutting a hole in the cocoon.  Our “helping” is actually hurting when we don’t allow someone to carry their own daily load.  But when a load becomes a burden, then the loving thing to do is help carry the burden.  Sometimes, we need to practice “tough love”.  Do what is your responsibility to do and give others space to do what is their responsibility to do, and when special circumstances arise and extra burdens need to be born, we help each other.

-Jeff Fletcher

Questions for discussion:

  1.  When was a time that you had a burden you could not carry yourself? Did someone help you and how did they do it?
  2. Was there ever a time when you just didn’t feel like carrying your daily load?  Did someone hold you accountable and tell you to carry your own load?  How did that feel?
  3. Have you ever thought you were “helping” like the little boy with the cacoon?  Is it sometimes harder to watch someone else struggle with their daily load than to step in and carry it for them?  Why is it important to resist doing that?
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