Matthew 18:7-9

Matthew 18:7-9 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There's an interesting article on Christianity Today about how international Christians see the church in the West.  There are a number of interesting points made in the article, but the most intriguing to me is the thought about how independent we are in the West.  We do so many things on our own, a reality that is amplified by our collective habit of burying our faces in our phones.  Even when we are together, we are often on our own.  The implications of this have been written about in many places, and I'm not going into that in depth here, but it connects with what Jesus is teaching us here in verse 7.
  Jesus is warning us about bringing temptation to others.  The point of the faithful life is not only to follow Christ faithfully, but also to do our part to help others follow Christ.  It's not just about us -- we are part of a community, and we have a responsibility to others.  We're to care for them, encourage them, instill hope in them, and ensure they don't fall into a snare. 
  I just finished reading Michael Punke's The Revenant, a harrowing tale about a man mauled by a bear who is then abandoned by those charged to care for him.  They leave him for dead, but he pushes forward, fueled for the remainder of the book by the thought of revenge.  (I won't spoil the ending.  Leonardo DiCaprio starred in a 2015 movie by the same name.  I will say that it's a fascinating tale, but one unlikely to be filled with laughter if that's what you're looking for.)  The reality of his abandonment in an hour of need sparked a fire within him.
  It's vital that we care for each other.  Jesus charges us to care for the community around us, at whatever cost.  We must do whatever we can to avoid sin, but we are also to assist one another in resisting sin.  We're in this together, and may we seek faithfulness as a community.  Who can you encourage today to remain strong in the face of temptation?