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October 25 - October 30, 2021
The apostle Paul kept this battle focused especially on forgiveness of sins. Notice from those comments above that Satan progresses from temptations to accusations. Armed with that strategy, he scans the church for times when the saints feel as though God is far away. At those times, he can work his ruse about us not being forgiven, but “we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor. 2:11). And we need help in this battle.
In other words, when we put sin off-limits, we cannot defend ourselves as being polite people who merely avoid meddling. Rather, we are Pharisees who, during a leisurely walk, avoid eye contact with the dying person we almost trip over. We are neglecting matters of life and death.
We can never predict someone’s responses. Anger and defensiveness can come when we least expect it. In response, humility has nothing to defend: “It’s funny you should say that I should look at myself first. I have actually spent time doing that, and I saw that my own heart is a good bit uglier than I thought. And I really am open to you talking about my sins. We can do that now. Then we can talk about what I was talking about earlier. I am trying to care for you in a way that I would want to be cared for.” “Am I saying things that are wrong or offensive?”
Humility is surprisingly sturdy in the face of anger. It includes a willingness to look at our own sins yet isn’t diverted from our concern for another.
It means that the one we are speaking with is like us—he does not respond perfectly, he changes slowly, and he needs a patient helper.
Patience is interested in what direction people face. Do they face toward Jesus? Patience is more interested in direction and less interested in how fast people are changing.
When uncertain, keep in mind that our aim is to speak respectfully, in love, and to build up—whenever we speak.
We believe that our sins can have mitigating circumstances. For example, killing in self-defense is not the same as murder for revenge. A tired child might be better served by a nap rather than a rebuke. Sin can be provoked by the hard things of life, and, as a general rule, we acknowledge those circumstances before we move on to the sin itself.
Our fear of people’s angry reactions, the myth that help is needed only when asked for, and our sense that we have no right to say anything because we ourselves are quite a mess—these contribute to safe relationships rather than loving ones.
When angry, we might be excellent at talking to others about someone’s sin but wretched at talking to the actual sinner. Meanwhile, just a smidgeon of humility would remind us that we are rivaling the very sin we oppose as we stand in prideful judgment. If we are stuck in anger, we are the needy ones, and we ask for help.
Love is what orients us. Fear or anger will blind us, but love and the best interests of others are our guide.
an opportunity for confession and affirming the truth. If we feel less than competent at countering lies with truth, we get help from those who can, and we learn together.
We stay away from vague, “I’m just going to try harder” kinds of commitments and instead have clear plans for how to do battle with Satan and sin and how to love others deeply from our hearts.
this spiritual process is called “progressive sanctification.” It means that growth and change are happening (Phil. 1:6) but not always as quickly as we would like.
“Help” spoken to the Lord is power. The struggle itself is evidence of power; it means that he has been equipped to fight and is no longer a mere slave. Mostly, spiritual power and growth feel like weakness, as if we just barely make it through the day.
Forgiveness of sins can seem a bit remote to people who either believe that their sins are not too big a deal or believe that forgiveness is too good to be true. Either way, Jesus is marginalized from daily life, and thankfulness is dependent on the events of the day rather than the unchanging blessings of God.
conversations are actually a way we grow in Christ. For example, when we have the hope of seeing Jesus face-to-face, and we know that hope is certain, our lives become organized around that meeting. When we look forward to sinless perfection, we are inspired to grow today into who we will be. How can we make the master story fresh on every retelling, whether we tell it all or only mention one episode?
When there is possible physical danger, helpers always get help.
situations, we help as part of a larger community. Humility and patience—they will serve us well as we serve others. They take the fear out of helping as we remember that “the body does not consist of one member but of many” (1 Cor. 12:14).
