Bearing with One Another In Love
Dec 7, 2002
Eph 2:2d
Today we want to talk about a problem that is as old as mankind. We see that there was a problem of jealousy from the very first brothers. There have been problems in families since Adam and Eve. We read the story in Genesis about Cain and Able. Cain because jealous of his brother when God accepted his brother’s offering but did not accept his because he did not offer to God what God had asked. Cain did not follow simple instructions and wanted to worship God in his own way. He did not think that it mattered what he did as long as he was religious. When God did not accept his offering but did accept his brothers he became angry and jealous and killed his brother. From the very beginning we see that God is merciful and forgiving even of people who get so angry that they kill others in revenge. I do not think that there is anyone here who has killed someone but Jesus said that if we hate our brother (family member) we are guilty of murder. When we hate, we cut off the other member of the family. We destroy the relationship with hate and Jesus called that murder. Perhaps most of us would be guilty so the message today can be applied to every one of us here.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians that they were to “Bear with one another in love.” Bearing with one another is being willing to accept our differences. This is not done grudgingly but in love. What is the key to being able to get along with one another? I believe that when we bear with one another in love, LOVE is one of the keys. Forgiveness is the next key to really loving and getting along with other people. We spoke of long suffering last time helping us to be patient with others. Also respect and honour are two other character qualities which speak to the problem of getting along with someone.
Accepting others – Phil 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves. We can find something good about every person. We can learn to praise and encourage these good qualities. God has created every person to have great value. Jesus died for every person no matter how evil or bad they became. God does not reject anyone who comes to Him for forgiveness and will give everyone eternal life. Have you accepted God’s forgiveness for your faults and shortcomings? I believe that forgiveness is a key to accepting others with all their faults.
Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love., which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Do you always get along with everyone? I had a lot of difficulty when I was growing up with a brother. We did not get along. I did not feel loved by him and he assured me one time that he felt it was his responsibility to keep me in my place. It was a struggle to love that brother. To forgive him for the way in which I was treated. When I became a Christian not everything was perfect but Jesus taught that if we want to experience God’s complete forgiveness we are to forgive everyone when they do something to hurt us. (in the Lord’s prayer, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”) This is not easy or natural. It requires supernatural power. That is why we need an intimate relationship with Jesus, so that we can get the spiritual power we need to be able to forgive and have a great and dynamic relationship with other people.
Do you think that others have faults or problems? Do others think you might have some faults yourself? Jim Salmons was a real estate broker in Texas. He realized that sometimes we have faults which we do not see ourselves but others can see. He wanted to grow in his Christian life and to be accountable to those God had put in his company to work with. He wanted to be an example to his employees. So one day he asked his employees to show him his blind spots. Little did he realize that this project would take about a week to speak to his employees and listen to them as they explained to him all his faults. What kind of faults do we have? What would others say to us if they had a chance to explain how we have hurt them or failed to show others respect? I believe that it is important to build relationships where we are accountable to others.
Are you aware of one thing in your life which you should change so that you will be able to get along better with others? Make a commitment today to do something about that . If you do not know what you can change, ask a friend for some help. Determine what area of your life you want to change and then make changes. When you have become better in that area of your life go on to the next area which needs change.
We should look for a friend or another Christian which we can set up an accountability partnership. I know that it is difficult to keep strong in the faith and to live the way God wants us to. When we have someone we are accountable to, we see that person out and pray with them and have them encourage us when we are having a difficult time with an issue. Matthew 18:19 says, “I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” God has others come along side of us to encourage and help us. We should develop friendships and relationships where we can go for counsel and help when we get in trouble spiritually or in any other aspect of our life.
Jesus worked with his disciples when they were quarrelling and lacked faith. Certainly it is an exercise of our patience which we talked about previously to get along with others and not argue and fight.
How can we keep from getting angry and fight with others? The first step is to realize that all make mistakes and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every one is going to Hell unless God does a miracle of transformation. How many times does God forgive us when we fail? We need to forgive others and try to get along with them when our ideas, attitudes or actions clash. This is where love is so important. If we love each other, we will try to get along and help each other. We will respect and honour one another. We will find ways to bless one another. We are not talking just about material blessings but spiritual blessings. We are talking about helping others not just with physical problems but emotional and relationship challenges.
One of the keys to understanding others and getting along is to learn to respect and honour others. Every person is made in God’s image. We have the image of God stamped in our soul. If we are made in God’s image we all have value. We need to listen and learn from each other. Isaiah said that even a child would lead others. We can learn from our children some very valuable lessons. Are we listening to them or just doing our own thing?
One of the greatest problems in our society today is that people are living for themselves and want others to serve them rather than they give themselves to help others. What is your attitude? When is the last time that you did something for your brother or sister out of love? Something which you did not do because you were asked to do it but wanted to do it because you wanted to make them successful and prosperous. Christmas is a time for loving. It is a time when we read about God’s love to us. God sent Jesus to forgive us. God is merciful and patient with us when we fail and disobey Him. Jesus left his glory in heaven and came to earth as a man to identify with us. Then on the cross he took all our sins so that we would be forgiven and redeemed from destruction. When we get a clear understanding of this concept we will seek to give ourselves to help others, just as Jesus was willing to give himself to help us. The bible says, Freely you have received, freely give.
During this Christmas season, lets make sure that we are willing to be patient with one another, help one another and bear with one another in love. When we do this we will experience joy and peace and love. God can bless us and reward us for the proper attitude that we have toward all people.
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