Ephesians 4:2 (TNIV) “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”VIRTUE (def): Moral excellence and righteousness; goodness; an example or kind of moral excellence.
You have no doubt heard the saying “Patience is a virtue”? Well, patience can also be painful. Some of the folks we encounter push our patience to new levels; at times to its’ breaking point. How can we be patient with the unlovely people in our lives? How can we be patient with the agitators, the foul mouthed, the ones who get joy in pushing all our buttons? WE can’t, but God CAN through us if we let Him.
It comes from knowing Him and knowing that He rewards those among us who are faithful to Him. Knowing Him comes from reading the Word of God and allowing it to seep into our heart, soul, mind and spirit and change us for the better. We must do this in order to have any chance of “bearing with one another in love”.
Patience is a virtue that we cannot attain alone, we need help. The author and provider of said patience is the source that we need to tap into. We cannot live this life and hope to have any eternal impact on others by ourselves. We have to first accept that as fact. Our limited resources run dry far too quickly to deal with some situations on our own. God, however, has limitless resources to draw from. Sadly, some people try to stumble along with their tank on empty, trying to deal with others effectively and at times do more harm than good. With our resources depleted, we become agitated and irritated much more easily. God’s resources are there for the taking, yet we continue to attempt to do things without help. Our effects, though perhaps effective in the beginning, have become futile.
Some people in our lives simply put require more grace from us. Prior to our salvation, God showed us limitless grace (and still does). Why would be show those around us any less? We are not God, so we succumb to our humanness and botch things up without even realizing it. While our intentions are honorable, they are ineffective in the long run due to a lack of resources. You see, it really all comes back to that. When our car’s fuel tank is on empty, we go to the gas station to fuel up or fill our tank. THAT is precisely what we should be doing on a daily basis in our lives.
When our resources run dry, “fuel up” with God’s word. He is watching and waiting for you to realize that you cannot do this thing called life by yourself. The things that truly matter in this life are unattainable without God. You will never find pure and lasting peace on your own. Not the kind that “passes all understanding”. You will not be truly comforted unless you encounter a believer, sent by God Himself, to meet that need in you. Truth, wisdom, kindness, all things that ultimately come from God. He uses willing believers as conduits to reach out and touch others in need, but God is the common denominator.
We are called to be patient with others, ALL others, no matter what situation or circumstances we find ourselves or they are in. Go to the One true source of all things … Almighty Jehovah God, Creator of the Universe and man’s first breath and be filled to overflowing afresh and anew each day with all the resources you need to do His will.
WALK WITH THE KING TODAY AND BE A BLESSING!!
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