Leave No Man Behind
As James comes to the close of his epistle, he stresses the importance of restoring those who wander from the truth; restoring straying Christians is a responsibility given to ALL who are truly the children of God ( Ga 6:1-2, 1Th 5:15) Yet it is a responsibility that is so easy to neglect and sad to say, often is neglected.
The work of restoring a wandering Christian can be MESSY business, situations like these require constant prayer and supplication before the Lord. Often times, it is Not Enough to just pray for them, most of the time it will take putting feet on your prayers. As believers we should be praying to the Lord for a change of heart for those that have strayed away, as well as seeking Him for the right words to speak to them so that it’s done in love instead of a negative attitude. By loving or brothers and sisters and confronting the sin in their lives, turning him/her back effectively throws a veil over the sins, meaning that they are forgiven by God, keeping them from suffering the unnecessary chastisement for prolonged sin. In order to appreciate the grave importance of what James 5:18-19 is telling us consider this question: “ What is the condition of those who have wandered from the truth?) A person that has wandered from the truth has also wandered from the source of forgiveness 1James1:6-7. For whom the Lord loves he chastens.. Romans 12:6.
We are our Brothers Keeper, for God says, If someone says, “ I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
So my question is can we say we love our christian brothers and sisters if we stand by and watch them stray from the truth and do not reach out (get Messy) and do our part to turn them back to God?
Part of the spirit and the culture of the U.S. military is the creed that you don’t leave anyone behind—whether injured, captured, or dead. For example, the U.S. Army Ranger Creed, the oath Army Rangers take, includes these words: “I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy …” The risks that fellow soldiers, sailors and airmen expose themselves to and the heroism displayed in such rescue and recovery missions, oftentimes under extremely dangerous conditions, are legendary. Most of us are familiar with such work done by the Department of Defense. But I wonder how many of us are familiar with the scope, magnitude and the near mission impossible nature of such valiant work. In 2009, 18 years after his F/A-18 Hornet was downed over Iraq during the early hours of the first Gulf War, members of the Department of Defense discovered and brought home the remains of Navy Captain Scott Speicher.
Our military understands the importance of not leaving a fallen solider in the hands of the enemy, can we as Children of the Living God do less?
James 5:19-20 tells us to go after those among us who have wondered from the truth and seek to bring them back.
Discussion Questions
- Is this something you would want someone to do for you? If so, how would you want them to do it?
- Do you agree that it is the responsibility of All Christians to go after those among us who have wandered? Why or Why not?
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