Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy
of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace.”
Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
The two passages above were written to churches in the respective towns of Ephesus and Colosse. They still apply to us today in our Christian walk and in our churches.
Before we can walk worthily, we need to understand what is this calling. Reading further in Ephesians 4, we find out that the calling is being built up as the body of Christ in love. Love is the manner, the key, to which the body will “grow up in every way into him who is
the head, into Christ, from whom the body, joined and held together by every joint with
which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it
builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16).
The calling is to love others in humility and bear with one another. These are the two
common factors we want to focus on. These are the crux of how we are to live as a new
creation in Christ.
This seems very straightforward until we actually start living this out. In a perfect world,
everyone treats each other with love, humility, equal and opposite care. We all know that
doesn’t happen. But we are still expected to love everyone “with all humility and gentleness, with patience.” It leaves no room for exceptions. No room for our tempers to rise. No room for anything other than, well, the attitude and mind of Christ. That’s our calling.
Bearing with one another is a little different. It means “to put up with people.” You know
those people that you’d rather not be around, that irritate you, and frustrate you? Bear
with them, put up with those, is what this terms means. We are to look past all of these
traits that get under our skin, their odd personalities, differences, whatever it is that bothers us. We are that person to someone too! We need to endure…in patience, gentleness, with humility.
How do we do that? Humility means lowliness. Philippians 2:3-4 helps us understand
this, “Don’t do anything out of emptiness or vainglory or conceit but with humility of
mind, treat other people as though they were as important,” but it goes on to say, not as
important but “as though they were better than you, as though they have more importance.”
The person that gets ‘under your skin’, why do you have to deal with them in humility?
Because there is a sense they are inferior to you. It’s true. So many times we prejudge a
person so that whatever comes out of their mouth doesn’t even matter. We aren’t giving
them a chance. “If we are going to bear with them, the first step is humility.”
Chip Ingram puts it perfectly. “See them and treat them as people of equal or superior
value than yourself…Now, think of your difficult person…See them, first, and then treat
them as people of equal or superior value.”
A quick parallel of the account of Jonah and his disobedience to God’s command to go to Nineveh. Jonah did not love the people of Ninevah. He didn’t even like them! So, when God told him to go to Nineveh, Jonah went in the opposite direction. Hence, Jonah’s future with the big fish.
Jonah 4:1-3 really shows us Jonah’s attitude. He is angry at God for being compassionate and loving the people of Nineveh and not destroying them after they repented. Jonah believed this was wrong, was very angry, and he asked God to kill him.
Jonah disobeyed God, had an unloving spirit towards the people God was told him to give a message to, and this left Jonah in an unresolved state due to his own unforgiving spirit. Read Jonah chapter 1 and look for God’s instructions to Jonah and how Jonah responded to God. Then by contrast, read Philippians 2:3-8 which shows us the attitude of Christ.
Use these prompts to enhance your Bible reading of the Philippians passage: first time, read for understanding; second time, read through in thankfulness and worship; third time, read through as a prayer. In your prayer, pray for the attitude of Christ in humility putting others above yourself, having a servant’s heart as Christ, being obedient to God and what he has called you to do, and laying down any idols at the foot of the cross.
New memory verse for the next few devotionals John 13:34-35, “I give you a new command:…You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know you are my disciples if you love each other.”
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