Written ~ 09-19-2024
Read Galatians Chapter Six
Galatians 6
I’m sure you have, but I am going to ask anyway… Have you ever read a set of verses that hit you right between the eyes? That was me, right now, reading the first few verses of Galatians 6. I’m sure I have read them before, many times in fact, possibly though I just skimmed over it quickly, but today… looking at these verses again through a different lens, a lens of Bible Study and meditation, they hit much differently.
That’s why… and I have said this many times before… that’s why it is so important to be in your Bible, reading it, studying it, pondering over it every day. God can point out things to you that maybe you have never seen before. Through His Holy Spirit we can learn things that really can blow our minds, if we allow the Lord to open our eyes and our hearts, we will see His glory and become increasingly more excited to be in His Word.
Galatians 6:1-3…
1 “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. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself.
You are not that important.”
If ever I have felt the sting of conviction, it was when I read these verses. Now to you, it may not have the same impact, it may not be what your heart needs at this very moment. But for me… I must admit, it was very humbling.
Think about those around you, your family, whether it’s your parents, spouse, kids, brother or sister or even your co-worker who shares your faith in Jesus… Have you ever gazed upon their life and thought, “Wow, they really need to pull it together, their life is in shambles,” then go along your merry way? You don’t reach out to help, in any way, because you “can’t relate” to what they are going through, so you leave them on their own, you leave them to figure out life all on their own.
Paul is telling us, as believers, to help our fellow believers when their life is “overcome by some sin.” When we don’t step in and share the burdens of other believers and help them get “back onto the right path,” we are subject to falling into sin ourselves by acting as though we are too important to help in their situation. Maybe we are just choosing to turn a blind eye. It’s possible we just don’t know how to help in their specific situation. But! We are not to judge them, gossip about them, write them off because they have too many problems or because they live with unconfessed sin. No, we are to gently and humbly help that person, we are to help them turn their eyes back on Jesus. And guess what… Not one of us is too important to do that. Your excuse might be that you’re too busy, too tired, you have your own troubles to deal with, but those are not good reasons for not helping a fellow believer.
I saw a “meme” the other day that said… “Never Look Down on Anyone… Only God Sits that High.” So, let’s be mindful that even though each of us have our own sets of problems, they are never more important than someone else’s. We must “share each other’s burdens.”
OK, so let’s back up, look what Paul says in verse 6:1, “…you who are godly should gently and humbly help…” The key words here are gently and humbly. It takes maturity in your own walk with the Lord to help another believer see the error of sin they have allowed in their lives, but it also takes spiritual wisdom to know that all of us are subject to falling into sinful behavior. We are not to expose their sin in a brash sort of way, leading them possibly into a further state of despair, no, we are to be humble, we are to go to them gently because we understand that we all have a sinful nature that needs to be dealt with. The Message Version translates verse 6:1 in this way, “Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out.” In this version the word restore is used, I love the word restore… In the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary” it defines the word “restore” like this:
- Christians should restore the person who has fallen into sin. The verb used here is a medical term used for setting a fractured bone; what is wrong in the life of the fallen Christian must be set straight. It is not to be neglected or exposed openly.
Let’s look also at what Paul says in verse 6:1, “…you who are godly…” I love this explanation from the “Expositor’s Bible Commentary:”
- Paul is reminding his readers that only those who are genuinely led by the Spirit have the maturity to deal with sin in others. Every Christian should desire such maturity.
Verse 6:2 says we are to “share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” What is the law of Christ? It is found in John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” When we share each other’s burden, we are demonstrating the type of love Jesus has for us. It is an outward expression of the love we have for each other. When we help someone struggling to get rid of the load they carry, we are sharing the love of the Lord with them.
Paul does give us a bit of a warning in verse 6:3, “If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” If we express the type of attitude that leads us to believe we are too good to help share in someone else’s burdens, that attitude needs to be adjusted immediately. If we are looking down on someone for living in sin, well, guess what, that behavior falls short of the glory of God’s standard and is sinful. We need to remember that none of us are above the temptation of sin, but it is our reaction to that temptation that makes the difference.
Ok… Let’s look at the next couple of verses in The Message Version…
Galatians 6:4-5 (MSG)…
4-5 “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
We are responsible for our own growth in the Scripture, in our own walk with the Lord. We need to share our knowledge, share our wisdom and never look down on anyone who is not at the same “level” as you, because we all have to start somewhere. BUT – guess what? That goes the other way too! What if you don’t have the same level of maturity in the Lord as you desire, don’t compare yourself with others and wish you had the knowledge they have, instead do something about it! It’s up to you! Study the Bible, learn from a good Bible preaching teacher or pastor, ask questions, put forth the effort to learn all you can! “We are each responsible for our own conduct.” (vs.6:5 NLT)
Galatians 6:6-10…
6 “Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
7 Don’t be misled – you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.”
When studying this passage, I found there to be a couple of different commentary views to their meaning. One view is that Paul is talking about our generosity in giving our money to the church to help further the spread of the Gospel message, to help with the needs of the poor and to supplement the pastors and leaders of the church so they can continue teaching and preaching the Word of God. We are to “provide for our teachers and share all goods” (money, food, clothing, shelter, etc.) What we sow into the body of Christ (the church) is what we will reap in rewards when we get to Heaven.
Another view is not just the money we contribute as our tithe or offering to the Lord, but it is our actions. Are we living for the Lord wholeheartedly, or not?
Verse 6:8 says, “Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”
Are you going to choose decay and death? Or are you going to choose everlasting life?
This choice is not a halfhearted decision!
As a believer we can hold onto things in our lives that nurture our sinful desires:
- Stress
- Anger
- Unforgiveness
- Doubt
If we continue to sow into these things all that gets produced is anxiety, hurting each other, pain, sickness, disease, fear, distrust. We can even get to the point where we are constantly questioning God. Have you ever questioned God? Saying something like, “How could You let this happen to me?” We actually need to be addressing that question to ourselves. It is NOT the God of Heaven who is pouring water on the seeds of decay and death, in actuality, it is our own behaviors that are feeding our sinful nature and getting us into a place of destruction and despair.
Pleasing the Lord should be our only desire! The Holy Spirit teaches us how to plant the seeds which will only produce life! Not just life, but EVERLASTING LIFE! When we gave our lives over to the Lord Jesus Christ we gave Him ownership over our hearts, our minds and our souls. Why would we take what God has given us and plant seeds of:
- Worry
- Discontent
- Boredom
- Uneasiness
As believers we are wiped clean by the blood of Jesus Christ. We have the responsibility now to sow holiness, righteousness, love, joy, peace – each of which comes from the character of the one true God!
Look what it says in The Message Version…
Galatians 6:7a (MSG)…
7a “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God.”
So, if you think that you can go on living a halfhearted Christian life, continuing in the sinful behaviors the world displays as fun and good, and you think you are pulling one over on God… That actually makes me feel sad. You cannot test God; you cannot ignore His commands. If you continue to sow decay and death and live in such a way that does not give honor to the Lord, I pray your heart would be brought to place of repentance and that you will want to give your full heart, your whole life to serving the Lord and your greatest desire would be to bring honor and glory to His Name.
Galatians 6:9-10…
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.”
Doing any kind of ministry, serving the Lord in any capacity, though rewarding, can get hard at times. In verses 6:9-10, we are receiving a wonderful word of encouragement from Paul. Keep serving the Lord, no matter what! We may not see the benefits as quickly as we hoped, bear in mind we are working within the Lord’s timing and in His timing there will be a great harvest! No matter what it is you are doing for the Lord, do it with enthusiasm, do it with great joy. By keeping your heart and mind focused on what it is you’re doing for the Lord will make waiting for God’s timing all the better!
Let’s look at verse 6:4 one more time:
4 “Pay attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.”
It is true, isn’t it? We can busy ourselves with our service to the Lord, we’re getting along just fine, then for some reason we decide to look around and check out what other people are doing for the Lord. Maybe we start measuring our progress against others. But remember! Comparing ourselves to other people won’t get us anywhere, all it does is cause discouragement. Believe me, I think it’s good to have this kind of warning, otherwise, if we allow comparison, it may just bring us to the point of giving up. What should our focus be? Keep our eyes on the Lord, work towards His purpose and instead of comparing ourselves to each other, let’s be an encouragement to one another.
And… Don’t forget what it says in verse 6:8b…
“…those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”
When we don’t allow ourselves to grow tired of serving the Lord and we don’t ever give up, there is a wonderful gift waiting for us! Everlasting Life! Spreading the Gospel message, encouraging one another in our faith, brings forth a bountiful harvest.
So, let’s repeat!
- Share One Another’s Burdens
- Pay Attention to Your Own Work
- Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
- Don’t Grow Tired
- Don’t Give Up
- Reap a Harvest of Everlasting Life
Father, I pray that in my own life, I would always keep my focus on You and keep working towards that great harvest! Today and every day I am choosing LIFE! I may not see all that You have instore for my sowing, but I want to continue serving You and plant those LIVING seeds which draw others to You. Thank You Lord Jesus for using me to further Your Kingdom.
~AMEN~