Wisdom's Corner
Fix a Broken Bone

Galatians 6:1, "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."

Have you ever had a broken bone? I have. I have broken a finger, a toe, and a bone in my neck. Having a broken bone hurts. A broken bone will keep you from doing things as well as you should.

When I had my toe broken, I could not walk or run as I should. When I had a broken finger, I could not do things with my hand like I should be able to. And when I had the broken bone in my neck, I felt like I did not want to do much of anything.

Most broken bones must be fixed by a doctor. He will put the bone back together (set it) if it is completely broken in two pieces. Then he will put a splint or a cast on it. This will keep the bones from moving while they heal. After a certain amount of time, the bone will be healed and the splint or cast can be removed.

The word "restore" in the verse above is from a greek word that was used for fixing a broken bone. Even in ancient Greece and Italy doctors fixed broken bones.

Paul says that Christians need to fix the spiritual broken bone of Christians who have stumbled from the faith. We must carefully look at the fallen brother and see what needs to be fixed. Then we must carefully set the problem in order and put a splint or cast on it to help it heal. This means we must be patient sometimes with the fallen brother. Some problems will take time to heal. And we must know what kind of cast to use to help it heal.

We must be gentle but firm as we put the bones back in place. Sometimes the doctor must put very firm pressure on the bones to get them back in place. It hurts the patient a great deal. The doctor does his best to not make it hurt too much. But the doctor and patient both know that sometimes the hurt must happen for the bone to heal right. Sometimes spiritually broken bones will require the person to hurt a great deal. We must let the person know that the hurt is necessary for the proper healing to take place.

Study your Bible. Learn the word of God. Know how to avoid falling and breaking your spiritual bones. And learn how to help those who break theirs.

Until next time, get God's wisdom. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.

Mark McWhorter

Copyright 1999

Published by The Old Paths Bible School
(http://www.oldpaths.org)