Daily Verses,net |
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on
tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one
another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another
even as Christ forgave you, so you must all so do. Colossians 3:12-13
(NKJV)
The Apostle Paul conveys this message to the believers at
Colossae. This is basically the same message he gives the Ephesian believers.
However, he goes deeper with the meaning of being kind. He writes that we
should “put on” these attributes as we dress ourselves for each day.
tender mercies
If we should have issues with someone, we must approach
that issue carefully and speak with tender words. We don’t always realize how
we come across when we just blurt out the issue that is on our hearts.
kindness
Even when we have issues with another person, we should
approach that person with kind words because we don’t know what they might be
going through in their personal lives.
humility
We should always remember that each of us is no better or
no worse than other people. God made us all. He allows each of us to have
experiences and circumstances that allow us to grow. We should learn to
practice humility in all our interactions with others.
meekness
As people of Christ, we should learn to take the gentle
path when dealing with people. We must realize that we are imperfect beings.
longsuffering
I love this word. It is an old English word that means
“patience”. We must have patience in this world as we deal with others. I walk
with a cane. It takes me a while to go from “point A” to “point B”. I
appreciate those who cross my path when I am shopping and they either wait as I
get past them or help me by holding a door open for me. With all the upheaval
going on in our nation, we all could benefit from having some more patience.
bearing with one another
Sometimes, we become aware of the need those who are
hurting have. We can do this through praying for them and their need. Maybe we
can do something more practical. Taking someone to the doctor or to the ER,
going to the grocery store for them. Our church has a food pantry that is open
twice a month. This is a ministry that has grown over the years.
forgiving one another
To get beyond hurts, we have to forgive each other.
Someone once asked me to forgive her but then said, “But, I didn’t do
anything.” The only way I could forgive her was to ask God to do it for me.
Forgiveness from God wipes away the record that He has on
us. When we ask forgiveness from another person, we attempt to clear the air
between that person and ourselves.
It seems like forgiveness is one of those things that is the hardest for many to do. We say we forgive, but we really can't forget and that causes us to have bad feelings all over again. I try to remember how Christ has forgiven me and says that He remembers my sins no more. I should do the same for others, even if I don't think they deserve my forgiveness. It's hard, but with God all things are possible.
ReplyDeleteIn reality, the only one we hurt when we do not forgive is ourself!
ReplyDeleteAmen! I love that verse from Colossians!! I recently wrote a song from that verse and thank you for the reminder, its always such a good word to return to!! and continuing in v. 14`But above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfect harmony...` Praise the LORD! All blessings to you❤️PS i hope this comment will go thru!!
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