I finished reading through the book of Revelation, and am now reading through the book of Galatians. As I often share with people, the Bible is technically not a book. Rather, it is a collection or library of "books" that were each meant to stand on their own. And so while it isn't necessary (or even advisable) for one to start at Genesis and read straight through to Revelation, it is a good idea to start at the beginning of an individual book and read straight through to the end. This is, after all, how the author originally intended for it to be read. This also ensures the reader is understanding Scripture in its context, which is crucial to proper interpretation. Daily devotionals that jump from book to book and verse to verse are a fine supplement to one's spiritual life, but should not be confused with a true study of the Bible.
My thoughts on Galatians 6 come from verse 1... "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted."
The first thing that jumps out is that Christians are to hold one another accountable. When we see a brother in trespass, we are to "restore" them, meaning that we are to confront them in such a way that leads to their repentance and restoration. There is a story of a jungle tribe that was converted to Christianity. Each of the members of the tribe would walk to their own designated place in the jungle each morning to pray. As a result, over time, they each wore a slick path to their place of prayer. If one of the members was not praying as he ought, the grass would begin to grow back on his path. At which point, a fellow tribesman would ask, "Brother, why does the grass grow on your path?" Accountability.
Secondly, and just as important, is how we confront them. It says to do so in a "spirit of gentleness considering yourself lest you also be tempted." I recently heard this concept summarized this way, "If you're going to confront someone with their sin, you had better have tears in your eyes." In other words, if you're going to confront someone, you had better be so broken over that person's sin that they can literally see the pain on your face. To confront a brother about his sin in a spirit of pride and self-righeousness (the opposite of gentleness) is not only hypocritical; it's ignorant of the fact that you can fall to temptation just as easily as the person you're confronting, should you also drift from the Lord.
