This morning I am reflecting on some verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians, towards the end of that letter. Paul, spent most of this letter dealing with a spirit of religion that was trying to overcome the Gospel of Grace, and part of that spirit requires a judgmental attitude, and that requires us to compare ourselves to others. In these few verses Paul takes a sightly different approach to get to that point - using here The Passion Translation - Galatians 6:1-5 TPT:
[1] "My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault, may the one who overflows with the Spirit seek to restore him. Win him over with gentle words, which will open his heart to you and will keep you from exalting yourself over him. [2] Love empowers us to fulfill the law of the Anointed One as we carry each other's troubles. [3] If you think you are too important to stoop down to help another, you are living in deception."
[4] "Let everyone be devoted to fulfill the work God has given them to do with excellence, and their joy will be in doing what's right and being themselves, and not in being affirmed by others. [5] Every believer is ultimately responsible for his or her own conscience."
In reading these verses, I love that Paul calls out two things, first that the base motivation and operative method is love in gentleness and secondly, the main thing we should concern ourselves with, is ourselves, and not someone else. This approach, is coupled with gentleness and humility, recognizing that we could just as easily struggle, or maybe are struggling in a another area, and to not compare (replace that with the word judge) others to ourselves, or ourselves to others.
As I read these verses, the image that forms in my mind is two runners, each running the same course, but each responsible for their own race and effort. At one point, they are running together and one , who is at that moment stronger, sees the other struggling, and encourages them, maybe even sharing a water-bottle. They aren't racing each other, they are running a course that they aim to complete, so the comparing and contesting is not necessary. However, as the two runners are champions, each runs to the best of their ability, personally striving to succeed in their own eyes, and in their own ability. Whether one is world champion, and the other just a junior-high champion, makes no difference, they are both for each other. The world champion has enough humility to remember what it was like to be a young runner, and instead of racing past, slows to bring encouragement and help.
Oh that we would, as a church, have this heart towards one another! We aren't competing with each other, we don't need to judge one another, we each have our own race to run, our own work that God has given us to complete. Our focus should be on our heavenly destination. Paul writes the following, sounding much like a runner, in his letter to the Philippians 3:12-14 NIV:
[12] "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. [13] Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes something similar in Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV:
[1] "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Let us be for one another, encourage one another, cheer for those that are running their race, and help those that are struggling! Let us worry about ourselves, and not worry about how others see us, or what they might say. The only voice we should concern ourselves with is the Lord's for we run towards Him!
Let us urge one another on, let us run our won race with perseverance and let us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord!
Amen!
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