Look in the Mirror First
READ: Galatians 6:1-4
Cynthia was sick and tired of hearing about all of the sinful things her friends were doing on the weekends. “How can they call themselves Christians?” she wondered. She felt the same way towards her unbelieving friends. “Compared to them, I’m almost perfect,” she thought.
Cynthia was not realizing the fact that she, too, still sinned and couldn’t come close to being perfect in God’s eyes. It can be easy to sometimes think like Cynthia or even just have a thought like that. Galatians 6:1-4 says, “Brothers, if anyone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else.”
Cynthia now saw everyone as even with herself, because everyone is righteous before God because of Jesus. She was determined to carry her friends’ burdens and help them overcome their struggles with sin, while still working on her own sins, out of love for God.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: Why is it easier to see other people’s sins? How can we find out how to help our own sin? How can we help others and ourselves overcome sin?
PRAYER SUGGESTIONS: Ask God to help you deal with sin daily. Pray for others caught in a specific trouble or sin. Thank God that He forgives us all our sins because of Jesus.