Bearing with one another in love

²Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:2-3

 

What gives me encouragement this morning is knowing that I am forgiven!  Having godly friends lends some level of assurance that they will follow God's word, be patient with me and I with them and bear with one another in love.  Even as faithful followers we still make mistakes.  We still make choices that to us seem important, but to others may seem untimely or inconvenient.  And when that happens, when someone we love, or even

someone we are simply acquainted with does something differently than we would have liked and we feel let down then we need to remember Jesus' command.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another". John 13:34

 

We must be willing to love one another in spite of ourselves.  We should be humble and gentle remembering that what may be inconsiderate in our eyes may have been innocent in theirs.  We need to look to the heart of the matter and strive to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  Jesus himself, when dying on the cross, said "Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing" Luke 23:34  If He can ask that, if He can forgive us for the many sins we have committed against Him up to and

including crucifying Him on the cross of Calvary then should we not be able to humble ourselves and forgive our loved ones when they make choices we do not agree with?

 

I struggle with this myself.  I have argued with myself over and over because of choices my family members have made.  Choices that will affect me and my family.  Choices that will affect all of my siblings in one form another.  It would be easy to just say, "they made that choice, let

them deal with the consequences."  But in my heart, I know that on some level, the decision they made was what they thought was right at the time.  Although, it may not have been the best choice, and there are repercussions, it does not mean that I have to just wash my hands of it.  I should follow God's word and Love them anyway, as God has loved me.

He forgave me of the messes I made in my life.  He has pulled me out of a pit more times than I care to count.  So, should I not humble myself and reach out to my loved one in unity of the Spirit?  I should think so.  It does not mean I approve of the decision that was made.  It simply means that I forgive them, just as God has forgiven me.  I love them, just as God has loved me.  And, I will help them just as God has helped me.

 

I pray you all have a wonderful and encouraging day in the Lord.  Spend some time with Him today and let Him encourage your heart and your soul.  If your encouragement tank is on empty, pull up to the pump that is the Word of God.  He will fill you up to overflowing!