BROUGHT BACK
Galatians 6:1-2
Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any sin, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Once, many years ago I had a good place on public land to hunt bears. I had been keeping them fed and checked the bait every day or two. It was a hot day, shortly before season opened and I began to notice someone was parking just down the road from me. I needed to find out if we were feeding the same bears. He was walking into the woods across the blacktop road and I decided to see if I could find where he was going and what he was doing there.
I picked up his track where it left the blacktop and followed it a few hundred yards through the cedar swamp. After that distance I lost his track when I came to a hardwood ridge, where the ground was harder. I liked the looks of the area and I love to explore so I kept going. I walked for a couple more hours to the east and began to worry as my truck was parked to the west. I had left the truck with the intentions of a 20 minute excursion... now I had no water and I was a few miles from the truck and it was hot.
I came to a small two track road and began to follow it back to the NW. After a ½ mile or so I could see a junction of another small road up ahead and I could hear a vehicle coming. I ran to cut the driver off and got to the junction just as he did. I explained my situation and he invited me to jump in the box of the truck and offered me a drink of water. He graciously brought me back to where I needed to be. If he hadn't been caring enough to correct me and get me back to where I should be it would have much harder and more painful for me to get back.
Recently I had was recording a radio program with a friend who was telling me he drifted away from God and had spent 30 years of his life away from the Lord. He knew where he should be but had chosen another path for all those years... What brought him back? It was Caring, Loving Christians that got him to where he should be.
Too often, as Christians we don't love our brothers and sister back to where they should be, but instead we "eat our young"... When we see some struggling with sin we either put them down to others or just turn our back on them. BUT, we are called to "restore such a one with a spirit of gentleness". We are to help them get back.
We are also called to " Bear one another's burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ". Christ didn't come to earth for His benefit. When Jesus came it was for the benefit of all of us here... So that we would be brought to forgiveness because of His love.
Mark 10:45
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Next time we see a brother or sister that is struggling with sin, don't turn away, we have a responsibility to pick them up restore them with Love to the place they should be.
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