THURSDAY 9TH APRIL
MEMORISE: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” – Galatians 6:1O
READ: John 8:1-11 (KJV)
“Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:5
Many people condemn those in error so as to feel good – not necessarily because they want to bring them to Christ. The men who tried to stone the adulterous woman in today’s Bible reading are classic examples. They wanted to show how ‘faithful’ they were, but did not know Jesus would eventually puncture their self-righteousness.
When you correct others to raise your self-esteem, you lower theirs and break their already bruised reed. This makes it harder for them to submit to the Christ you preach. If this happens, you can incur God’s wrath. He could turn against you. Do you want Jesus to turn against you?
When Jesus turns against anyone, it can lead to public disgrace. In the story above, Jesus turned against the men who were going to stone the adulterous woman and stood on her side, so she could get the chance to begin to live a holy life. Those who conspired to disgrace her left there in shame. You will not end up in shame in the mighty name of Jesus.
It is very painful to see some Christians gifting souls to the devil because of their ‘holier than thou’ attitude. Even in a bar, alcoholics buy drinks for one another and one would hardly be able to tell which of them cannot afford to buy a drink. If this happens in such settings, how much more should we look out for one another in the house of God?
If a pregnant teenage girl is disdained by her church members, the nightclub or brothel would be ready to accept her. This is why many fallen Christians go deeper into sin. Rebuke in love. Let your words to erring brethren lift the hands that are falling, and raise the feeble knees (Job 4:4). We should not be like that proverbial army that specializes in shooting down its already wounded soldiers.
KEY POINT: Check your motive before you correct a sinner. Is it love or just the will to reduce their self-esteem?
