I Am Not Always Patient Or Gentle

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Eph 4:2 NIV)

I have to confess that I am not always gentle or patient. My patience flies out the window when I end up listening to someone explaining why they don't thnk what they did was a sin rather than just confess them. My gentleness disappears when I see or hear anyone using or abusing others to make themselves feel or look better. I am neither gentle or patient when the word of the Lord takes second place to one's own opinions; their egos; their personal goals. I am not very gentle when man's will becomes a priority over God's will within the church on earth.

I am often accused of not being Christ-like when I lose my patience or my gentleness. Paul reminds us in his letter to Ephesians that we need to be. I wonder though, was it a reminder to himself as well? He, too, could lose his patience. He also could come across as a bit unkind. He did not sit back and let people trample on the rights of others. He was not quiet when others were teaching falsehoods about Jesus.

Jesus, himself, did not take kindly to his Father's being used as a mean to get rich. He was not pleased when he entered the temple and witnessed the shysters making a profit, it appears that he lost his patience with them and was not very gentle. "Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, 'Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!' His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”  (John 2:15-17)

I confess. I am not always patient or gentle. You can accuse me all that you want of not being Christ-like; but, I will stand up for those who are being used or abused. I will not placate anyone by saying a sin is not a sin. I will be quite blunt with those who would subvert the will of God and proclaim their will rather than the will of the One who sent His only begotten Son to die for us. 

May God fill us with zeal for Him and for the whole Body of Christ.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Patience

"I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph 4:1-3


Here is Paul, in prison, begging the Ephesians to lead lives with humility, gentleness, and patience bearing with one another in love. Paul met his imprisonment not just with patience; but with joy that the Lord had opened many doors in that prison so that he could proclaim the Good News to those who would not otherwise hear.


Some of the things that we lose patience with are pretty trivial compared to the troubles others suffer in the world. It would be best to ignore these minor obstacles and just move on past or over them. Don't let them interfere with what God has called you to do. Some of these minor inconveniences can make big breaks in our relationship with God and with one another when we allow them to. Rather, we ought to take advantage of what might seem to be a hindrance; because, it just might be a door opening for you. Those hindrance just might be a blessing rather than a curse. Live life!


May God help us to wait patiently, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.


God's Peace - Pr. J

Forgive That You Might Live Life

"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Col 3:13 NIV)

Life is just way too short to spend any of it being angry at others. God intended for us to live life. We ought to put up with each other the best that we can. Sometimes, that is not so easy. Sometimes, we do have to walk away because; you see, bearing one another works both ways. We are human beings and can only endure so much persecution before we become non-functional and unfruitful. There are times in our lives when we must forgive and move on. Sometimes, that moving on means distancing ourselves from the one who would continue to have you bear them up and constantly push you down.

Jesus instructions to his disciples when he sent them out to share the Good News of his Kingdom included this:  "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet." (Matt 10:14) Do not hold a grudge. Forgive generously. But, remember that you ought to be moving forward in life and sharing the gospel. Do not allow yourselves to come to a standstill, locked in grief or anger. God gave you life to live it. Live life in Christ!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Bearing Christ's Name

Some of Christ Lutheran's Worship Team That Ministers to

residents at Princeton Senior Living, Palm Coast, FL

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:45-48 NIV)

Those first disciples were witnesses. We, too, are witnesses. We must have seen or heard or experienced something in order to bear the name of Christ. What was it? Surely, you do not call yourself Christian because you belong to a specific earthly congregation. There is more to being a Christian than being on someone's membership rolls. As one of my friends use to remind her congregation, "Sitting in a garage doesn't make you a car anymore than sitting in a church makes you a Christian."

Christian's bear the name of Christ and we are to bear it to the entire world. We are to proclaim, in Christ's name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins, to all nations; to all people. Now, repentance does not mean simply apologizing. It means change. It means turning around and doing things in a way that will reflect the love of God for all people. It means, even as Christ put others before himself, even his own life; we are to put the needs of others before our own desires. We are to set aside our own desires so that the will of God may be done.

We do not bear the name of Christ for our sakes alone. We ought not hide our faith for a hidden faith is no faith at all. Our faith may be personal; but, it cannot be private. We are to proclaim the mighty works of God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, to all the world, for as Christians, we are witnesses to the great love that God has for all people.

May God help us to be more faithful witnesses to all that He has done for us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God's Peace - Pr. J

No Gossiping

The Eighth Commandment.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

What does this mean?--Answer.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

(http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php)

 

"Sticks and stones can break your bones; but, words can never hurt you." Wrong, words can kill! They can destroy life. They can kill a spirit and; yes, they can even lead to death of the body in a whole variety of ways. Think about the one who is on trial and someone would bear false witness against him or her sending them to prison for life or aid in that person receiving a death sentence. Think about the young woman or man who is trying to overcome obstacles and bullies continue to beat them down with words. Not only can this lead to a loss of an abundant and joyful life; it can lead to serious depression and in some cases suicide. Consider the married person falsely accused of adultery, what will their partner, who in their pain and anger, do to the ones he or she feels has betrayed him?

 

Do not deceive yourselves. There are no little white lies when it comes to bearing false witness against your neighbor. Lies will destroy your neighbor. Lies will destroy your family. Lies can divide and destroy whole communities and countries. Lies will destroy you.

 

God does not desire that anyone be harmed in any way. May He help us all to speak with integrity and to help our neighbors when they are down.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J