This evening I met with two of my dear brothers-in-Christ for a time of fellowship - accounting our lives to one another and keeping each other abreast of how we are doing in our daily lives. This will then allow us to pray for and help one another grow in our walk with the Lord.
In the course of our fellowship, we shared about our burdens for a brother-in-Christ as in the way he is living his life and how he has been a stumbling block to a few people. One of us shared that he has done as much as he can to help this brother. He felt that it is going nowhere and he wants to give up.
To cut the story short, the three of us agreed that we should not give up in helping this dear sibling-in-Christ. If one is not successful in helping him, then we should gather a few more to see how else we can provide a way for this brother to overcome his struggles.
On my way home, I was just reflecting on this issue and it burdens my heart. I realised several times in church, many give up too easily in helping their fellow siblings-in-Christ when they are struggling in their walk or certain things that they doing are not right in the eyes of God.
Most of the time, we closed an eye or even both just so that we do not have to be the one dealing with the brother or sister. In many occasions, we might have thought to ourselves probably someone else may know the problem of this person and he or she is doing something about it.
If everyone has this mentality, then we are definitely leading that wayward brother or sister to his or her doom.
I struggle countless times in practising what I have written above because to help someone return to the Lord is always a long and tedious process. In many instances, I chose to run away than to confront the person. Because of that, some have left the faith and some are still struggling. Who is at fault when this happens? I would say it is partially my fault because I knew it and I did not bother to do anything about it as I was thinking about the inconveniences that I have to go through.
It is time that I change this mentality. I can escape now but eventually I will have to account to God for all these as well. Frankly if I am drifting away from God because the lures of this world is so strong and I cannot seem to get out of it, I would love to have a brother or a sister to help me get back on track to the road of holiness and godliness.
In the past, many have helped me in my struggles (especially when I was struggling with my kidney injury) and I am thankful to God for them. I hated the guts of some of them for their persistence - they were such a pain to always want to mind my business. Now as I look back, I am grateful to them for sticking by me because I realised if it were not for them, I would have fallen away long time ago.
I am in the process of wanting to help some siblings-in-Christ but some have chosen to ignore me. It is very painful when you get that. I pray the Lord will help me not to give up but to give me a skin so thick that I will just press on. Of course I also pray that He gives me the discernment to know when to lay off for a while and just pray for that person.
Something for me to think about and I pray the Lord will continue to give me the courage to go forth and make a difference in someone's life. I may not always do the right thing but I pray the Lord will cause the person whom I am helping to understand that I care.
"My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." James 5:19-20
In the course of our fellowship, we shared about our burdens for a brother-in-Christ as in the way he is living his life and how he has been a stumbling block to a few people. One of us shared that he has done as much as he can to help this brother. He felt that it is going nowhere and he wants to give up.
To cut the story short, the three of us agreed that we should not give up in helping this dear sibling-in-Christ. If one is not successful in helping him, then we should gather a few more to see how else we can provide a way for this brother to overcome his struggles.
On my way home, I was just reflecting on this issue and it burdens my heart. I realised several times in church, many give up too easily in helping their fellow siblings-in-Christ when they are struggling in their walk or certain things that they doing are not right in the eyes of God.
Most of the time, we closed an eye or even both just so that we do not have to be the one dealing with the brother or sister. In many occasions, we might have thought to ourselves probably someone else may know the problem of this person and he or she is doing something about it.
If everyone has this mentality, then we are definitely leading that wayward brother or sister to his or her doom.
I struggle countless times in practising what I have written above because to help someone return to the Lord is always a long and tedious process. In many instances, I chose to run away than to confront the person. Because of that, some have left the faith and some are still struggling. Who is at fault when this happens? I would say it is partially my fault because I knew it and I did not bother to do anything about it as I was thinking about the inconveniences that I have to go through.
It is time that I change this mentality. I can escape now but eventually I will have to account to God for all these as well. Frankly if I am drifting away from God because the lures of this world is so strong and I cannot seem to get out of it, I would love to have a brother or a sister to help me get back on track to the road of holiness and godliness.
In the past, many have helped me in my struggles (especially when I was struggling with my kidney injury) and I am thankful to God for them. I hated the guts of some of them for their persistence - they were such a pain to always want to mind my business. Now as I look back, I am grateful to them for sticking by me because I realised if it were not for them, I would have fallen away long time ago.
I am in the process of wanting to help some siblings-in-Christ but some have chosen to ignore me. It is very painful when you get that. I pray the Lord will help me not to give up but to give me a skin so thick that I will just press on. Of course I also pray that He gives me the discernment to know when to lay off for a while and just pray for that person.
Something for me to think about and I pray the Lord will continue to give me the courage to go forth and make a difference in someone's life. I may not always do the right thing but I pray the Lord will cause the person whom I am helping to understand that I care.
"My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." James 5:19-20
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