superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. Bear (endure, carry) one another’s burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it]. For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another’s load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself.
Even the best of us fail at times, but it is important to note that the word overtaken doesn’t mean a deliberate, intentional sin. It’s as if someone is walking down an icy sidewalk, slips, and falls. That’s how the Christian life works—nearly everyone slips sometimes.
What then should be our attitude when this happens? We should offer to help, of course. If someone slips on the ice, don’t you naturally rush over to help that person get up? We would not ignore a person like that, nor should we ignore the responsibility to help those who have slipped spiritually. One of the biggest ways we can help is to pray instead of gossiping or judging.
The Greek word translated “restore” (v. 1) was once a medical term used by a surgeon to describe medical procedures like removing a growth from a body or setting a broken arm. The goal is not to see the person punished, but the person healed.
The second point Paul made is, instead of pointing fingers and looking down on someone when we become aware the person has fallen, we should look at ourselves. The devil could have tempted us to do the same thing or something else just as bad, or even worse. We need to look with compassion on those who fall and remind ourselves, “Except for the grace of God, I could be there.”
The third thing is to push away pride in our own achievements. If we think we are more spiritual, we’re deceiving ourselves. Proverbs 16:18 gives this warning: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” It is pretty dangerous to say, “I would never do that!” We need to pray that we will always be strong and faithful, but bragging is a dangerous thing. When we see other people make mistakes we need to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” and if we find ourselves in that same situation, then we should respond the way we truly believe He would.
CHAPTER 33
Suspicious of Suspicion
T he words about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 are familiar to most of us, but I can honestly say living them has not always been easy for me. These are the attributes of love: enduring long, being patient and kind, and not being envious, jealous, boastful, vain, or rude. Love doesn’t act unbecomingly or insist on its own rights or its own way, for it isn’t self-seeking. It isn’t touchy or easily provoked; it doesn’t take account of the evil done to it or rejoice at injustice. It rejoices in the truth, bears up under everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, has fadeless hopes, and never fails.
As a child, I was not exposed to this kind of love—in fact, I was taught to be suspicious of everyone. I was told the motives of other people were not to be trusted. As I became older, I encountered people whose actions confirmed in my mind that my suspicions were justified. Even as a young Christian, I experienced disappointment because of the obvious motives of some people in the church. While it is wise to be aware of people’s motives, we must be careful we don’t allow a suspicious nature to negatively affect our feelings about everyone.
An overly suspicious nature can poison your mind and affect your ability to love and accept other people. Consider this example. Suppose a friend approaches you after a church service and says, “Do you know what Doris thinks about you?” Then this friend tells you every detail of the things Doris said. The first problem is a
Even the best of us fail at times, but it is important to note that the word overtaken doesn’t mean a deliberate, intentional sin. It’s as if someone is walking down an icy sidewalk, slips, and falls. That’s how the Christian life works—nearly everyone slips sometimes.
What then should be our attitude when this happens? We should offer to help, of course. If someone slips on the ice, don’t you naturally rush over to help that person get up? We would not ignore a person like that, nor should we ignore the responsibility to help those who have slipped spiritually. One of the biggest ways we can help is to pray instead of gossiping or judging.
The Greek word translated “restore” (v. 1) was once a medical term used by a surgeon to describe medical procedures like removing a growth from a body or setting a broken arm. The goal is not to see the person punished, but the person healed.
The second point Paul made is, instead of pointing fingers and looking down on someone when we become aware the person has fallen, we should look at ourselves. The devil could have tempted us to do the same thing or something else just as bad, or even worse. We need to look with compassion on those who fall and remind ourselves, “Except for the grace of God, I could be there.”
The third thing is to push away pride in our own achievements. If we think we are more spiritual, we’re deceiving ourselves. Proverbs 16:18 gives this warning: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” It is pretty dangerous to say, “I would never do that!” We need to pray that we will always be strong and faithful, but bragging is a dangerous thing. When we see other people make mistakes we need to ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” and if we find ourselves in that same situation, then we should respond the way we truly believe He would.
CHAPTER 33
Suspicious of Suspicion
T he words about love in 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 are familiar to most of us, but I can honestly say living them has not always been easy for me. These are the attributes of love: enduring long, being patient and kind, and not being envious, jealous, boastful, vain, or rude. Love doesn’t act unbecomingly or insist on its own rights or its own way, for it isn’t self-seeking. It isn’t touchy or easily provoked; it doesn’t take account of the evil done to it or rejoice at injustice. It rejoices in the truth, bears up under everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, has fadeless hopes, and never fails.
As a child, I was not exposed to this kind of love—in fact, I was taught to be suspicious of everyone. I was told the motives of other people were not to be trusted. As I became older, I encountered people whose actions confirmed in my mind that my suspicions were justified. Even as a young Christian, I experienced disappointment because of the obvious motives of some people in the church. While it is wise to be aware of people’s motives, we must be careful we don’t allow a suspicious nature to negatively affect our feelings about everyone.
An overly suspicious nature can poison your mind and affect your ability to love and accept other people. Consider this example. Suppose a friend approaches you after a church service and says, “Do you know what Doris thinks about you?” Then this friend tells you every detail of the things Doris said. The first problem is a
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