“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass,
you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness”
– Galatians 6:1 –
In this chapter of Galatians, we have seven valuable tips:
- When we find someone doing something wrong, our role is not to accuse, but to restore in spirit of kindness (v. 1).
- When we alleviate someone’s burden, we are fulfilling God’s expectation of each of us (v. 2).
- We need to examine our lives, the way we do things, so that we can grow in grace and faith (vv. 3-6).
- We cannot deceive God; it is impossible. And remember that life will offer us what we have put into it (v. 7).
- We must always do good, under all circumstances. (vv. 8, 9).
- We must do good to all, but especially to those who are of our community of faith (v. 10).
- As we choose Christ, we turn our backs on the world and we look at the cross as the greatest good of our lives (vv. 12-14).
No Christian can think that he is independent and does not need help from others or that he is exempt from helping others. No one is so wise that he cannot learn something from his fellowmen, or so ignorant that he has nothing to teach others.
An island is, in appearance, one portion of land surrounded by water. However, the reality is something else: islands do not float in the sea; they are lands that emerged from the earth’s crust.
Similarly, all human beings are connected with each other. We often see ourselves as islands, separated and disconnected from others, surrounded by an empty space that, in an imaginary way, protects us from a society we believe is hostile.
“Nothing makes sense if we do not admit that people are not islands;
every person is a piece of the continent, a part of the whole” – Thomas Merton. –
In the Vietnam War, the city of Saigon was beginning to be evacuated when an orphanage was hit by an explosion. An orphanage staff member made radio contact with a doctor and a nurse and told them that a small orphan was dying from loss of blood because of the explosion. The doctor knew the girl would need a blood transfusion, so he found a boy and asked if he would be willing to give his blood to save the girl’s life. He agreed.
As his blood was drawn, he began to cry and said, “After I give my blood, she’s going to live and I’m going to die.”
They asked him, “Why are you doing it, then?”
He replied, “She’s my friend.”
We are not islands. We are all part of the same continent.
How willing are you to give your blood,
even if it meant your death and the life of your neighbor?
Think about it… God bless you…