We Are In This Together

Good morning everyone. I hope you had an excellent "day of our Lord", lost in worship and renewal. Now that our batteries have been recharged we are ready to get to work. First, let's look at Galatians 6.

It is a shame that so many people have the attitude of "going it alone" when it comes to their "walk" during the weekdays. We do not mind sharing ourselves on Sunday, but the other days of the week we keep to ourselves. It is like we have a split personality. One is used for the "regular" people and the other is reserved for Sunday. I think we know it is not suppose to work that way.

We are not suppose to go it alone and it is one of the purposes of the Church, the manifestation of Jesus in this place. We need each other, even if we do not want to admit it. There are limits but as believers we are suppose to be open and honest so we can help each other make it to the end. Sometimes this involves being open enough to be corrected when we need correction. Paul writes:

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. vs. 1-2

Being brothers and sisters in the Lord means it sometimes gets messy. As much as we prefer to keep things simple, tidy and often times orderly, life in a fallen world does not always allow it. The thing to keep in mind is that it is more important to finish the race then it is to avoid sweat and dirt. Sometimes helping to carry a brother's burden becomes inconvenient to us and it requires some personal sacrifice in order to do it. Sometimes helping to restore a fallen sister means we have to face our own darkness and remember our own ugliness. This is when we must make sure that we are strong and reliant on our relationship in the Lord.

In order for us to serve in the Body in this matter we must have an awareness of who we are in the Lord and who we would be without him. We cannot be what we need to be to one another if we are arrogant, proud or boastful. It requires a great deal of humility in order for us to help each other:

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. vs. 3-5

We are not involved in a popularity contest and it is not a competition. We are all sinners saved by grace. We should not be proud of the sin we come from but instead we should feel shame in what we once were. Yet, this is what we have in common: we have all sinned, we have all received the promise of salvation by faith, we are all filled with the Spirit of God. These things should unite us and cause us to run to each other to help. We should never try to have lordship over each other and we should never think we are better than anyone else in the Body. The only one we are to compare ourselves to is Jesus because he is the only example we have been given. When we do this then humility comes easily because what are we compared to the surpassing greatness of Jesus?

One thing to keep in mind, there is more than enough work for all of us. We need to check and make sure that we are carrying our share of the work. Let's check and make sure that no one is being overwhelmed because we have failed to carry our own load. We are in this together and our actions or in-actions will have a direct impact on other Christians. Let us check ourselves and make sure we are everything we have been called to be. Let's carry our own load.

The Church is a beautiful place of restoration and healing where friendships last longer than a lifetime. It is a place where we should be able to be honest and open, where restoration happens gently and where we learn to grow into maturity together. If this is what you experienced yesterday then I rejoice with you. If it is not then you should check yourself to see if you are part of the solution or part of the problem. Let us keep in step with the Spirit and love one another.