Most of us will never perform open heart surgery. But, as Christians, we handle hearts all the time. Not the blood pumping kind...the spiritual kind. So it's important that we know how to handle hearts in ways that lead to healing.
In this, the final week of our survey through Galatians, we turn to Galatians 6:1-5. There we find standard protocols for helping people heal from the damages of sin.
Protocol One: Gentleness. People who are sinning don't need further abuse. Instead, they need people who are living by the Spirit to come alongside them and gently restore them.
Protocol Two: Caution. All of us suffer from this same disease of sin. So it's important that those who help be careful not to allow themselves to be pulled into sin along with the person they are trying to help.
Protocol Three: Evaluation. We are called to help each other. But we are also responsible for evaluating ourselves against the yardstick of Jesus. Keeping ourselves in proper perspective will keep us from becoming prideful.
Protocol Four: Compassion. The world has enough self-righteous condemnation. God's people are to sow seed of compassion. And when we do, gardens of reconciliation will grow.
And that's the book of Galatians. What have we learned?
- Christ's sacrifice frees us from the baggage of the past.
- Christ's sacrifice frees us from religious rules.
- Christ's sacrifice makes us heirs of his righteousness.
- Christ's sacrifice frees us to serve one another in love.
- Serving others in love includes handling hearts in ways that lead to healing.
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