Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2 (NLT)
I have two grand kids. I adore them. They live with their two loving parents who both have very demanding careers. They love their children and do everything they can to spend as much time with them as they possibly can but in reality, they can’t be there 24x7.
So, they have a Village. The village consists of Nannies, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, God Parents, and Friends. The Village is very active. First, it is always there to spend time together, eat meals, play, tell stories, share hugs and kisses, kiss boo boos and in general lend a hand raising up these blessings. The Village is active in everyday life. Some members are around a lot, some come and go but they are still part of the Village. They are trusted.
Sometimes, the Village is called on to do extra service. For example, if an emergency at work pops up, a call is made to the Village to see if someone can help. If something happens around the house that needs care, the Village is contacted.
This system works really well for a couple of reasons. One, everyone involved is there because they love each other. No one sees it as work or a sacrifice. It is a gift to be able to be involved and it is a blessing to be able to help. Two, everyone has one goal when they are present in the Village. The goal is to grow people in the Village to be responsible, productive, Jesus loving adults. Notice, it’s not only the kids who get care. Everyone in the Village needs love. Everyone understands this role. And while we each do that job a little differently, we all do it with the same motive. Love.
That’s how I see today’s verse. We as the Body of Christ (Jesus’ Village) each have a job to do. We are to love each other the way Jesus loves us. It’s not work; it’s not “ministry”; it’s not something we have to do because we have the name Christian. It’s something we do because we are in love with Jesus. It’s something we do because we love each other.
And just like when one of the grand kids starts to veer off track, we should gently and humbly love each other back on track. Humbly because we ourselves easily veer of track and gently because we are called to love each other the Jesus way. Helping each other back on track is not about pointing out each other’s faults. It’s about sharing the burden, lifting together and making sure we each become productive, responsible, Jesus loving Spiritual Adults.
That is the law of Christ. It is the law of Love.