Avoid the Sin Net

 Don't Get Caught in the Net

 I remember watching my parents seining for minnows. We would stop at several small creeks on the way to a weekend of fishing. My job was to grab the flipping, flapping minnows and put them in the open minnow bucket that was manned by my brother and sister. I would watch as my dad slowly brought his end of the net around toward the creek bank and the space within the net got smaller and smaller until finally the net scooped the fish out of the water and onto the bank. My parents would caution us, " don't get caught in the net" and to "pull gently, you don't want to tear the net."

Gently, Gently

 We have to be careful when we are helping someone who is caught in sin. We have to gently guide them back to our Heavenly Father, BUT we have to be careful to not get caught in the net ourselves. Helping a struggling brother or sister requires us to be on firm spiritual ground ourselves. We have an enemy who would love to see us get caught up in the sin net and unwittingly end up leaving the restoring waters of our spiritual relationship with Jesus.

Where Do You Draw the Line?
A friend who lost a job, a spouse, a child, or a home. An acquaintance, a coworker, or a church member with addiction issues. Where do you draw the line between helping and enabling? This is a question that I have had to ask myself repeatedly over the years. Anytime I feel out of my depth(no pun intended), it is time to refer our sin caught friend to a professional.

 Brethren, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 

  Galatians 6:1 NIV