Confront Lovingly! Stand UP!

Confront Lovingly!

As Christians, we will always encounter situations where we need to guide someone or correct someone who is doing wrong.

Paul says we should do this GENTLY and HUMBLY.

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. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived. (Galatians 6:1-3 MSG)

My friends, you are spiritual. So if someone is trapped in sin, you should gently lead that person back to the right path. But watch out, and don't be tempted yourself. (Galatians 6:1 CEVUK00)

A lot of Christians sometimes aim to correct but do it so wrongly that the person even becomes more hardened or vexed.We need to correct gently both in character, speech and approach.

The reason why we don't correct the right way most times is because we have the wrong motive. Sometimes we correct just to prove that the person is wrong, to show that we are more spiritual, to prove that we know better, to create awareness for ourselves. However, thé true purpose for correcting a person should be love. We should correct the person not to bring the person closer to you but closer to God.

If we are truly trying to serve God and be a good disciple then the aim should always be to help the person become closer to God. 

Some people try to correct another christian or individual and their approach is so wrong that they try to force their convictions and corrections down their throat.

We also have to be prayerful as we correct that we do it correctly and not become Prideful as we can start to see ourselves as more spiritual, more holy, more Godly. We might start to boast either in thoughts and speech of changing so and so person or leading so and so number of people to Christ. 

We must be careful and prayerful that you might not be tempted by the same thing you are trying to correct.

Let us emulate Daniel and Christ and correct lovingly. After Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream,he went further to lovingly correct him by saying 

"Your Majesty, please be willing to do what I say. Turn from your sins and start living right; have mercy on those who are ill-treated. Then all will go well with you for a long time. (Daniel 4:27 CEVUK00). 

For me Daniel just set the correction formula. Now I can say " please listen to me. Don't do this or that and start doing the right thing that God may bless you...

Let us remember not to be judgemental, arrogant or hateful in our rebuke because when it comes right down to it, we are all sinners working with God towards getting it right and the sins of others is not really our business. It is Gods, we are here to help ourselves and others be better and lead them closer to God

Written by Kachi