I Will Follow You into the Dark

Have you heard this song by Death Cab? It's one of my favourite songs and I happened to be listening to it when I was reading the passage for today. As I read deeper into chapter 6, I couldn't distinguish whether it was the song's lyrics that were speaking to me or the passage that I was reading that was striking a chord in my heart. Then I realized that it was both, as they were speaking the same message to me. Here's an excerpt from the song:



We'll leave it at that for now, and I'll come back to it.

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Galatians 6

The first part of this chapter, titled "We Harvest What We Plant", is about helping our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in times of their need. It talks about sticking by their side and helping them "gently and humbly". With those two words, I think Paul was hinting that we need to help without criticism (for it is easy to criticize someone who probably brought about their own misery) and without looking down upon them, respectively. And Paul also recognizes the reality of helping others out. Sometimes, when you're helping a fellow Christian in his/her dark days, you are just as fragile and just as likely as that friend to fall into struggle. But Paul reminds us to be careful of your own work, and also only to share each other's burdens and to do so while obeying God.

To relate back to the song, look how it says "I'll be close behind", instead of "I"ll be by your side". If you're going through a struggle, wouldn't you want a friend to be right beside you? But I think this ties in nicely with what Paul is trying to say when he says in verse 5, "we are responsible for our own conduct." As much as you are trying to help others out around you, you can't live their lives for them. All you can do, when they're blind-folded, is to hold them from behind and guide them. You cannot be their legs and eyes. I believe that really helping someone is not doing their dirty work for them, but guiding them into the right paths that allows them to grow out of their own struggles themselves.

It's easy to question God with the person that is struggling. God wants you to help the person that is struggling by being right behind them when they are going into the dark. Especially if you're helping that person out long-term and there seems to be no good results coming out of it, you may question God yourself and lead that person into the wrong path. What is that good in that if you're supposed to help that person? Sure, you're still right by that person, but you may just as well not be by that person if you're not going to lead that person into God's will. This is why Paul says in verse 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." And in verse 7, he reassured those of us that help, "You will always harvest what you plant."

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I know what it feels like to be in that position where you're praying for a person for years and you may not even see any results. But be persistent. As this book has taught us, us Christians are only stronger when we stick together, and we will always harvest what we plant. It's inevitable. As we go out into the world again tomorrow, let's remember that if you plant a seed into people's hearts by doing good deeds or speaking the truth, people will take in that seed and it will one day be harvested.


Roh

hi guys here it is the final chapter on Galatians

right off the bat Paul starts off my instructing us to help those that are in sin. We must help everyone that is struggling with something, either by prayer or actually going up to them and talking to them about it. I think we do a good job of this, as we have many opportunities to share and talk at retreats and/ or our meetings, but i think the trouble is for the people that are just quiet. We need to get them to share, because that takes weight off their own shoulders and it actually helps to tell someone. A man reaps what he sows, is one of the verses that I live by. I just think its just an important verse because it is in fact true and it helps out if you sow your life in God. Its simple we have to plant our selves in God, so that we can get in return his characteristics and eternal life. Its key that after we have reaped ourselves in God, that we do not move it elsewhere, because after all God is the only solid thing in this world. The next section talks about circumcision, it clearly states that what counts is new creation in God. Circumcision doesn't have any meaning, only way you will get meaning is if you actually undergo a revolution in God. We can all easily say that we have undergone a transformation in our lives, the moment we met Christ..

2"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
This verse reminded me of how important it is ot be a friend and have friends that support us and help us in times of need. But like Roh said, we can't live our lives for each other - 'each person shouold carry their own load', is what the NIV says. We all take responsabilities for our own lives - the decisions we make, the harvest that we choose to sow. I find myself blaming others for things that might have caused me to commit sin. And even though others do have an effect on us and people do sin against us, it is not an excuse for us to sin ourselves.. Even though we can't control what others do to us, we can control how we respond, and the actions that we choose to make afterwards.
But also I started thinking about being someone who is there for someone else. Today my friend was being really selfish and judgemental. And the whoel time I was thinking in my head that I should respectfully let her know that what she was doing is wrong. But I couldn't bring myself to do it because I didn't know how she would take it. And afterwards, I felt horrible because in one of my strongest friendships, I couldn't be honest with her, and I was scared to tell her the truth.
And that really made me reflect on the role of friendship - you can't just have good times and be able to joke around to have a strong frinedship - relationships take more than that, and its carrying burdens, it's guiding each other on the right path even if it might be hard.
So yup. that's my reflection of the day.

Hey guys!
How you doing? So it is the midpoint of the week, and its almost the week-end! How exciting! Anyways, I hope that your weeks have started out well, and I hope they end well as well! so I apologize for not doing my devotions yesterday, yes, that is right.. I missed it yesterday... I am human as well, but here is todays!
What I read: Job 32
What I learned: so this whole chapter is about a guy telling everybody else that he has kept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to speak because he was younger than everybody else. The older guys had taken the opportunities to speak their minds and share with Job what they felt he needed to do to get out of this rut, and Job had concluded that he was righteous before God’s eyes and therefore did not have anything to repent. Elihu comes out of no where and starts speaking because he has this urge to speak, and I noticed he rambles on for six chapters to only find out that what he was saying was wrong and that he really did not have to open his mouth.
What I am going to do: well, John Ortberg states that sometimes it is just good to listen, and just be there for a person, the best thing a person can ever do for someone who is hurting is to just be with them. They don’t necessarily have to say anything, but just being there makes all the difference. I am going to learn from this, especially knowing I like to say too much, I got to learn to be silent when silence is needed.

Hello everyone, hope everything is going out well for you..anyways heres my devotion...

v.10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

In this verse it talks about doing good things to people. God is telling us to do good things for other people because the Lord has done good things to us. Sometimes we dont realize it. And in the verse when it says oppertunities, this verse is telling us that God has given us a great oppertunity to help others. Just like what we did on street missons on saturday. And im sure God was very please with that, and later in the future God will give you a great gift. We do good things for God, not for are selves.

v.17 Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

In this verse God is telling us that we shouldnt worry about anything. When we are in trouble the Lord will protect us. He will guide you and always be with you. So we are in God's hands, nothing can harm us, not even satan. we are stronger then satan.

v18. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

In this verse God says that he will give you grace in you soul. He did this by sending Jesus Christ down to earth to sacrifice himself on the cross so Jesus can bring grace and peace in thisd world. Member the lord will bring grace and peace in your spirit.

AMEN...................

Have a good day guys.....

nice write up guys!

1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
"restore him gently..." I think this makes a great pointer when you are confronting someone. If you go up to someone and yell at them of what they are doing, it will only makes things worse for them. As it says here, do it gently. But as it states, we shouldnt get "tempted" while trying to help them. But the whole "carrying his load" and "staying together" is very important. And this chapter explains why.

Have a good thursday guys!

-Enjoy!

This Chapter made me wonder... which would you benefit most from: help + relationship from someone who is in the same situation? help + relationship from someone who has overcome that situation? help + relationship from someone who hasn't even encountered the situation but is willing to help you?
On the other side of the spectrum: could the helper also be a beneficiary?
From the person-receiving-help (PRH) side of view, benefit = both gain and appreciate.
From the person-giving-help (PGH) side of view, benefit = gain.
I actually don't have a direct answer for this one yet...
Probably because it depends mostly on personality of the person... For example, a person receiving help from a person who's in the same situation may view their helper as a rival and will not benefit from their aid. Also, a person receiving help from someone who has already overcome the hardship may have too much pride to accept help; if they did it alone, I can too. And so and so.. and so and so..
But I think it's good to get help from somebody at the very least, so depending on your personality, I think we should pick a category of people to accept help from, while respectfully declining others.

For the helpers, I think if you don't like helping, then instead of giving crappy advices, you should just not help.
I mean, you could steer them towards the right direction, but if the helper seems indifferent it is likely that the person in need of help will lose hope.
Also, if you're trying to willingly help somebody because you like them, but you have nothing special to offer, then I think you should also refrain from helping. This is because you don't want to be a hindrance to the person, because you could be, that will make both of you feel bad.

In helping, I don't think we should be emotionally attached but objectively dedicated to reach the ultimate goal.
There's no need for unnecessary drama that's not even there, basically.

i think that every situation of "helping" is different. hopefully, in any situation we will just be "there" for that person you know?

-Enjoy!

good points Roh and Mike you gave me something to think about aha.

I really like verse 2. How can we carry each others burdens? I think the only way we can carry each others burdens is when we completely discard our pride within our community. Only then can we carry each others burdens aswell as ALLOW others to carry them for us. Think about it, there are 2 reason why you would reject someones help. 1) your pride; you think you can do it by yourself. 2) you don't want to burden them, but if they didn't want to be burdened they wouldn't ask to help you. I think we can only carry each others burdens when we are intimate and authentic with each other. To easily share our problems and hindrances. How can we tell our congregtion to become comfortable if we can't be real with each other within our own team?

I was reminded of Pastor Albert from Youngnak who spoke at our summer retreat when I read this chapter. The fact that we reap what we sow, it was a great lesson for me as I am working on my uni apps. Being too focused on these applications threw me off a little from my devos, and I was reminded from reading Galations 6 that I will only be able to grow in my relationship with God if I put an effort into it.