Wednesday, October 5, 2022

Orange Moon Wednesday, October 5, 2022 "A Familiar Wrong"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

    

               "A Familiar Wrong"


    "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not" (III John 1:9).

   I wonder if the Apostle John thought about a time in his own life when he addressed Diotrephes' love for exaltation and glory.

   "And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto Him, saying, Master, we would that Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.  And He said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left hand, in Thy glory" (Mark 10:35-37).

   One suspects John remembered the episode of his personal foolishness, just as we all must remember our own times of sin and failure when we see the same in others.  Certainly, this does not mean we do not seek to help those who have fallen.  God calls us to serve as His means of restoration (James 5:20).  However, our attitude in doing so must be humbly cognizant of our own falls and the ongoing temptations we face as we walk with God in our present lives.  In his first epistle, note that John included himself when he wrote, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (I John 1:8; emphasis added).

   How easily our flesh spots the failures of others.  How blind it is to its own.  We must therefore walk in the spirit, where the Spirit of God ever leads us to seek our Heavenly Father's correction of our own ways before considering the waywardness of others.  As recently mentioned in a similar consideration, we do well to bear the attitude, "Search me first, Lord.  And if you have time for anyone else after that…".   Thereby, we will be prepared to help others, even as long ago an apostle of God addressed a particular wrong in another, with which he was himself most familiar.

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted."
(Galatians 6:1)

Weekly Memory Verse    
    Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
(I Thessalonians 4:1)




















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