Jesus is generous and kind, and He doesn’t want us to be foolish in our interactions with other people. He has redeemed us from the shackles of sin and its isolating curse and placed us in a community of redeemed people called His church, in which He kindly instructs us to live with a healthy self-awareness. He doesn’t want us to play the fool like someone pointing out a piece of spinach stuck between a friend’s teeth when he has half of his salad hanging from his own! Jesus’ point is not that we are always in the wrong to point out sin in a brother or sister’s life. To the contrary, it is part of our duty as family in Christ to lovingly steer one another away from sin and toward Christ. What’s the issue then? Jesus knows our propensity toward pride—our tendency to identify and exploit a weakness in another person in order to elevate ourselves. Jesus aims us higher to a holy and holistic approach—one that edifies both us and the community of Christ. He calls us to take an honest look at ourselves and only then point out sin we see in the life of a brother or sister with humility and tenderness. When we practice this kind of compassionate course correction in the community of Christ’s new creatures, we will grow together, and the watching world will notice the beauty of the body of Christ being lived out before them! Let us live with such humble holiness and holism this week.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Mike