(1 Thess. 5:14b) “…be patient with everyone.”

This is a present imperative which means this is not an option but a command. If God was patient with you all this time, sure you can have patience with others. Yes, it’s true people get on our nerves all the time, because we are all different. We all see things differently. We all have differences. We all have different backgrounds, different cultures, and different education, but what characterizes us as a group is kindness, gentleness, humility, love.. (“the fruit of the Spirit” of Galatians 5). Whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you (i.e. Col. 3:13b). Is there anything more important than our Christian testimony for us to be ugly to one another? I beg of you, the fallen world is watching, “…see that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people (i.e. 1 Thess. 5:15). Is this the church of Christ we’re talking about? You mean the church was paying back evil for evil? Leaders to laymen, laymen to leaders? Well, if you say ‘that’s not true’, you’re not involved in the inside of a church. But all the New Testament talks about our attitude toward people; to give you a few: Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:17-21; 1 Peter 3:9 – never pay back evil for evil, aggressively pursue for ways to show kindness to one another and to everybody. Do you catch the spirit of Paul’s hitting the church? This is the church; the church was ugly, the church was stepping on each others toes. The church was putting down lesser members, and Paul says, “That’s inappropriate, that’s unacceptable!!!” So Paul appeals to us “to live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called [that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior—a life that expresses gratitude to God for our salvation]”.

#christians, #patience