Clear and Gentle Spirit ...

Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Christian life can be very exciting. God is a fantastic god, who is there with his presence and spirit every day. When we turn to him, we can experience his presence and learn from him.

Life with other Christians can be fantastic. There are so many stories one could tell. Many experiences with Christian spirit in very different people. I have found open hearts and friendship in very diverse churches, in Germany, in the UK, in Japan, in Lebanon, in the US, in Spain, in France … The bible tries to teach us that there is one spirt, the spirit of God. It lives in believers, and they become brothers and sisters. This can be experienced, it is fantastic!

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Helping each other …

The help, which you can experience when you live as a Christian believer, has many aspects. There is help in terms of shelter or food. There is help interms of exchange, prayer, community. But there is also help in terms of ethical aspects of life.

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6, 1)

The bible tells us that as Christians we should have an eye on each other also with respect to our actions, our behaviour, our ethical decisions. There are good things to do, and there are actions which are not so good.

clear and Gentle …

Two different features of how Christians should deal with each other when it comes to ethics are named in Galatians 6. There is first clarity. We should be clear in our discipleship, clear in our way we follow Jesus. This applies to the way we talk to each other - it should be full of appreciation and respect, full of love. This applies to all people, not only to Christians. Christians should be full of love towards others, what ever their opinion or behaviour. But we should name things which are not good in the eyes of Jesus, in the eyes of father, on and holy spirit. Let us talk about concrete topics later. But we are called to follow Jesus with all parts of our life, and that includes ethical topics as well.

And there is second gentleness. We are called to be gentle towards each other, even if the other person just acts in a way which we believe to be wrong. Gentleness does not mean that we would not be clear. But we should know that we all fall short when it comes to the holiness of the eternal God. We all fall short when it comes to both truth and love. So let us be full of grace towards those who fail, yet be clear that things are not good when they contradict the words and spirit of Jesus.

Enjoy your day! (Roland Potthast)