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Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Ephesians 4:2
What Does It Mean:
Fellow Christians are not going to get along. In fact it has been in my experience that they butt heads a lot. And yet the Bible tells us how to deal with that situations. We are suppose to view each other being humble, patient and with love. It seems simple enough until you feel that you are being wronged and then you get all defensive. When you stop viewing each other with humility, patience and love it allows Satan to run wild.
My husband and I once attended a wonderful little Church. We were both extremely active. The Church member there became just like family. In fact I am pretty sure they all knew more about what was going on in our live then our families did. We loved them all with a passion. It was indeed a beautiful sight. And yet when we found ourselves defined on pretty important topics that is when the ugly side from within truly came out. It was a very unsettling thing to watch as no one wanted to listen to the others points of view. No one was willing to practice humility, patience or love for one another. Their main goal was to be right. My husbaand and I were both in shock as members started to run for the doors. It was like a bad divorce that never seemed to feel better. A place that was once filled with love was now filled with hate, back stabbing and hard feelings. No longer did my husband or myself get excited when it was time to walk into our home church doors. Instead a sense of dread replaced it. You could feel the hurt and anger as soon as you entered the door. My husband and I after much prayer ended up leaving the Church as well. We made home at a new Church that we are fulling in love with. Yet I still find myself unable to attend business meeting for fear that once again this kind of discord will show its ugly head. Once you live through something like that it is hard to forget it.
It was never meant for us to go through things of that nature in Church or with fellow Christians. Yet God knew it would happen which is why He left us with clear instructions over and over again in the Bible. We forget that those instructions are there however when we are in the middle of proving we are right and someone else is wrong. Humility goes out the window. Being gentle ceases to exist as we are in the middle of proving we are right. Patience left our hearts the moment someone dared not to see things our way. We also seem to forget the importance of viewing each other with love. Our human nature enters the scene and we forget all about why we are trying to stick to guidelines. Instead we switch to a one tract mind. I am right and they are wrong.
We all have different view points. We are wonderfully made to all think, act and perceive things differently. The fact of the matter is God made us that way for a reason. Because if we would channel our differences together we could mold an unstoppable force. We could become a force for God that no man could ever question. Yet we choose not to humble ourselves to others. We decide that we are not going to willingly serve others who have a different view point than we do. Which in turn causes the world to not see us differently instead we look just the same. We hurt the testimony of the Church and ourselves.
I wonder what would happen if we chose to treat all people the way Ephesians 4:2 expresses. Dare I say we treated all Christians and unbelievers with humility, patience, gentleness and with love. What would happen then? Well we would win a lot more souls that is for sure. It is one thing to tell people the gospel it is another to show them the gospel. This my friends is how we are going to reach others. This is how we are going to effectivily share the love of God with them. It is not going to happen just because one Saturday out of the month we dress up and go knocking on doors to express to others their need to be in a Church on a Sunday morning. Do I believe this action is important? Yes I do and yet I am a firm believer that our daily actions is what speaks volumes to the world. Not just that one day a month when we decide it is important to serve.
How Can I Apply It:
I know how hard it can be to feel that we are right and the other person is wrong. Yet it is important to still view that person with humility, patience and love. It is important because these same principles have been applied to us all. It is important because it is commanded of us. Are you stuck in a situation like this at the moment? Maybe it is time to talk with God about it and then practice what has been given to us so freely.
Until Next Time Just Keep Soaring 4 Him,
I would like to invite you to my Facebook group Christian Homemakers in Training where we dive into homemaking, motherhood, marriage and group devotions. After all, we all need a safe place to grow together, right?