How to deal with others' mistakes?

[Ebn Barbara]

“ … Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are… I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one “.
(John 17 : 11 – 22).

This is the prayer the Lord Jesus Christ lifted up to the Heavenly Father, before He went to the cross, He prayed it for the sake of His disciples, and for those who will believe in Him, which means for us..

Four times in the same paragraph, the Lord prays and ask the Father to make us one.. not any unity.. but the same unity that unifies the Son with the Father !!!

And the apostle Paul says:
“ so we , being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another “ (Romans 12 : 5).
One body despite our number.. how deep is this allegory..

If the eye get sick or weak.. the body can’t just leave it alone, and he can’t cure its weakness or sickness with an unhealthy cruel way, but with care and fear, for not loosing the sight.. he cares for it, he gives it all he can, because he knows that loosing it will fall on him negatively, it will cause him to be blind.

Today we will meditate on a very important subject, it is one of the topics that has either a negative influence or a positive one on the body’s unity, that the Lord highlighted, and Paul highlighted led by the Holy Spirit..

How to deal with others’ mistakes?
In one sentence.. and with a short yet deep and expressive answer:
I deal with others’ mistakes.. like I want others to deal with mine.. and like I want the Lord to deal with mine.

These words, and this conclusion is said by the Lord Jesus himself:
“ Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets “ (Matthew 7 : 12).

How do you want God or people to deal with you when you commit adultery, or steal, or get angry, or curse, or act inappropriately toward others, or get lukewarm in your ministry and go astray, or… or…?
Do you want them to punish you? Or make you pay for your mistakes? Or leave you alone to solve your problems on your own?
Or do you want them to treat you with love and mercy, to stand next to you, to pray for you, and not rest till you get rid of all that is wearing you, till you get well completely?
Think sincerely in these things.. so you can understand and learn how you should deal with others’ mistakes.

James the apostle said:
“ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way, will save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins “.
(James 5 : 19 – 20).

Paul the apostle also said:
“ Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted, Bear one another ’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ “. (Galatians 6 : 1 - 2).

What I am inviting you to today, is not being silent or excusing sins, rather it is how to deal with sinners, how to treat their sins, how to help them get rid of it?
James the apostle makes it clear, when he says that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way, will save a soul from death, and cover a multitude of sins..
And the apostle Paul makes the picture complete by asking us to correct others and deal with their sins, trespasses and weaknesses, with a spirit of gentleness.. and this is the spirit of the Lord who said about Himself: I am gentle in heart.. that is why He is named the Lamb.

Let us bear each others’ burdens, instead of letting our brethren and beloved ones go under them, while we are standing and looking at them, giving way to our thoughts to judge them and searching for reasons behind their hard situation.. and the word continue saying:
Considering yourself lest you also be tempted..

Because we are all tempted to fall in sin and be under many burdens, because when we deal cruelly and judgmentally with others who fall in sin.. we will be treated in the same way when we fall, because God’s word says:
“ For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you “ (Matthew 7 : 2).

So if you measure with the measurement of love and mercy and help.. it will be measured back to you..
And if you measure with the measurement of accusation and anger and judgment and lack of help.. it will be measured back to you..
And the servant whom the Lord forgave many, but he refused to forgive the few.. his end was very bad.. so let’s not let the lesson of this story and its meaning go from our mind, not even for a single moment !!!

How does the Lord deal with our mistakes? How does He cure them?

“ The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy, He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever, He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him, For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust “ (Psalms 103 : 8 – 14).

“ Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord “ (Jeremiah 31 : 20).

“ For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the Lord of hosts, Though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel “.
(Jeremiah 51 : 5).

The same principle that we talked about, for the Lord doesn’t overlook sins, He doesn’t love them He hates them, but He loves us, He deals with us with mercy and forgiving love that covers our sins and weaknesses..
He doesn’t treat us according to our worth, but He takes away our sins and transgressions from us, He knows our nature and the weakness of our humanity..
He knew that Ephraim wasn’t a pleasure to Him by his behavior, for though He spoke against him, He earnestly remember him and have mercy on him..
He knew that the land of Israel and Judah and His people are overflowing with sin against Him.. yet He didn’t forsake them..
He is the God who said to the Father: forgive them Father for they know not what they are doing.. instead of asking for their judgment..
He is the God who sacrificed himself and took the punishment that we deserve.. so we don’t perish eternally..
And we are called to this kind of love, the sacrificial love that gives itself for others..

Moses asked God to take him out from His book.. and not punish the people..
And Paul wished he would be deprived from the Lord.. for his brothers according to the flesh..

And now.. do you want to explore the hindrance that stands behind you not accepting the sins of others and forgiving them and helping them and hide their sins?
Explicitly: it is the absence of love
The word of God says:
“ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up. does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails… “ (1 Corinthians 13 : 4 – 8).

If you don’t suffer long on others’ sins, and be kind, but instead you provoke them and get angry of their behavior, if you don’t bear them, and endure them.. then simply you don’t love them !!!

Are we supposed to love our brothers and those who love us only?
Let’s read what the Lord says in this matter:
“ But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you… But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same “ (Luke 6 : 27 – 33).

This is how we should love.. and these are the ones to love.. and this how we should deal with others’ sins.
Can we love like this, can we love those?
Not by your power, nor by your natural love.. because God’s word says:
“ … Because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us “ (Romans 5 : 5).

It is love that made the Lord not treat us according to our transgressions, that made him love Ephraim and have compassion and mercy on him, that kept Him with His people despite their many sins, and that made Him die for the sake of the sinners..

Yes.. this same love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.. and what you have to do is ask the Holy Spirit every day, to release this love inside of you toward others, and to take away from its flow toward others all the obstacles and mountains and valleys that are in our souls, for He knows how to cleanse its way from all that stands against it, and then you will learn how to deal with others’ mistakes with a humble spirit, no matter what they do, no matter how their sins and weaknesses are many and hard.. and you will also learn to accept yourself, and love it, and forgive it, like the Lord accepted you with all your mistakes, and forgave you and still are, and dealt with you with mercy and compassion..

When God rose Aaron to be the high priest, to stand between Him and the people, He made him two onyx stones and graved the names of Israel’s tribes on it, and asked him to put it on his shoulder, as well as He made him a “ breastplate of judgment ” and put on it stones according to the number of Israel’s tribes, and the stones were made of sardius, topaz, emerald, and sapphire… precious stones, and even though the sins of the people were so ugly yet God’s forgiving and covering love, looked at them as precious stones.. and He asked Aaron to put it on his heart.. saying:
“ So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel on the breastplate of judgment over his heart, when he goes into the holy place… “ (Exodus 28 : 29).

God never asked Aaron to put the names on his tongue, when entering His presence, for the tongue symbolizes gossiping on others with bad and judgment.. but the shoulder bears the yolks.. and the heart loves the love of God that was poured in our hearts.. and in such places we should bear our brethren when we enter God’s presence for them.. when we enter His presence to bear their burdens and love them and defend them and intercede for them and be merciful with them, not to talk about them and their sins and weaknesses, or to reveal their nakedness !!!

I leave this reflection between your hands in this new year, for you to learn how to love others.. how to bear their burdens.. to deal with them in a spirit of gentleness and with great mercy.. to be one with your brothers.. a unity like the unity of the Father with the son.. for the success of our ways and the fulfillment of our vision..