Sinfully Correcting without His Directing !

For None of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.  For if we

live we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.  Therefore,

whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.   Romans 14:7-8

There are no lone rangers in the body of Christ.  We all affect and effect

one another as well as those viewing our lives outside the body of Christ.

This is Good News for all of us as well as an encouraging reminder to

fellowship.  Fellowship has become a verb for me, an activity as well as

a description of a group of believers who meet together regularly.   When 

one of us sins, do we amputate him or her, or at least try to from the body ?  Do we 

confront these sins as God confronts us with our failures and then encourage

them through repenting and reconciliation ?  Do we shoot the wounded

brothers and sisters in the body of Christ or lovingly point to new hope His

love always extends.  Do we seek to correct them ?  Wow.  Where is our humility and

His love here ?  Where is our faith ?  Is it in our own corrective, critical

nature's or is our faith in fearing a very able and awesome God ?  Is

our Great Commission to correct others or spread the gospel ?  What's

our call ?  Who will accomplish it in us ?  How can He use us if we're

sinfully correcting without His directing ?  Does He ever call us to correct

someone else ?  Where is that written ?  Holding others accountable for

what we perceive is a sin against us is something I don't think I've heard

Him say, Cindy, deal with these people's sins for Me.  Not our call.  Do 

we live like the Holy Spirit isn't really a person, doesn't really abide 

in other believers and is not capable of correcting wrongs all by Himself ?

Do we believe we are really His?  I do.  I have failed at all the above

mentioned self efforts we all do to correct a sin in a member of the

body of Christ.  I'm not successful at correcting someone else.  You

aren't either.  Correction is His.  Fearing, walking, loving and serving

Him is ours.  I have enough to do correcting my own missed steps.

It is what it is.  Whatever it is, it's His.  We're His.

He is. He was. He is to come.

There are no lone rangers in the body.  We're all His.

Do we compassionately and humbly believe this ?  May

our walks with You today prove we believe You ?  Would

You cause us to keep our eyes only on You this Halloween ?

May we know that whatever we're under You're over ?  

Would You cause the Body of Christ in 2009 to be an

irresistible invitation to You ?  Would You correct our

critical corrective views of other people ?  Would You 

replace our urge to correct with an urgent prayer for

direction ?