“Brethren, If a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

How often do we as Christian’s get up on our high horse when we see or hear of a fellow believer who has fallen into a sin of some sort. So often there is an immediate judgment that is passed down by us, maybe even a bit of gossip spread about. Maybe because we ourselves do not struggle with that particular sin we think we are immune to falling ourselves. And instead of reaching out in genuine love and gentleness, we make the decision to speak harshly about and to this person thinking we may somehow jog their conscience and make them turn from their wicked ways.

Unfortunately, that can sometimes have the opposite effect on them. Often times when you go at someone in a harsh, my way or the highway attitude, it turns them even more in the wrong direction. They figure what difference does it make I am already a bad person, so who cares. I have seen it all too often. Love was not extended and harsh words were spoken, the result was a soul floundering in sin and feeling dejected and alone.

No one stops to think how they would want to be treated if the shoe were on the other foot. The eye-opening thing is, it is on the other foot. We are all sinners, we have been since the moment of conception. God sees sin as just that sin. We like to grade sin according to our own moral thermometer, and I agree there are some sins that seem so much more horrible than others, especially a sin against us. When in reality our own sin should make us sick and others sin should move us to compassion and love and a desire to gently bring that person back into right fellowship, letting them know that they are valued and loved. Even if discipline is needed it can be done in love, with a good intention. God will discipline us himself when we are in need, but he does it in such a way as to not completely crush us but to bring us closer to him and it does not last forever. All the while he is loving us and caring for us.

When our children do wrong, we don’t cast them away; instead, we talk to them about the wrong, explain the right way to behave and model it for them, and sometimes give them some form of discipline, all while still loving them and being gentle so as not cause them to much pain or make them feel like utter failures.(at least we should do it this way) It seems to me that people these days seem to be major hotheads, people are caught doing something wrong and suddenly they are put on the altar of public speculation and roasted.

You can read in the Bible about different peoples sin and you think, really? How could you? Well, read on my friend I promise you will find yourself somewhere in those pages and then you will not be so puffed up and proud!
I would rather be guilty of loving someone in spite of their sin than judging them and making them feel alone and rejected. You can love someone regardless of what they are doing, it is a choice.

The sin that my dad committed against me I hated, however, I loved my dad. I prayed for him, I still did kind things for him. Was it easy? No! Was it worth it? Yes! He was wrong and he knew it, I did not have to cram it down his throat for him to understand that he was in sin and the things he was doing were wrong, even as an unbeliever, he understood he was wrong, but did not care. How much more for someone who is a born-again believer. If someone is truly born-again, then when they find themselves in some sort of sin, they already know they are wrong. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, so if we are in sin then the Spirit in us will draw us away from the sin because our fleshly desires are waring against our spiritual self, but if we do not heed the warnings and we refuse to listen, then the choice has been made to continue in our sin.

We read in (Proverbs 15:1-2) “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.”

We should all practice giving soft words to others. We should all think before we speak, and unless we are completely sinless,(which we are not) we should hold off on the harsh judgments and harsh attack of an individual who may have fallen into sin. Choose love, the word tells us: LOVE NEVER FAILS! (1 Corinthians 13:8)

I choose to be a lover…will you join me!