1st Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
This passage of scripture builds on the first three verses of the same chapter, by explaining in the real world how charity is manifested. It is not good enough for us to have an intellectual knowledge of charity, but instead we should be putting that knowledge to work on a day to day basis. One of the characteristics of an individual who has cultivated the spirit of charity is that they are not easily provoked by the sleights and wrongs that are done to them, and they do not succumb to the temptation to seek revenge when their personal rights have been violated.
The passage does not say that charity is foolish, and therefore we are under no obligation whatever to deliberately place ourselves in a situation where we can be abused or taken advantage of. Kindness is not foolishness, and the line of distinction between the two must be clearly understood.
God is very practical in the instructions He gives us, and even in the administration of the gospel commission, we are advised to exercise good common sense, by avoiding situations of known antagonism against the truth. In other words, there is no virtue in looking forward to persecution, or heckling by those who are blatantly averse to anything that is good and upright. As a matter of fact the Lord specifically instructs us to flee such situations, whenever possible, and wherever they may occur. Let's read:
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake" .... 23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another" ..... 24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
However, on the same issue of being easily provoked, it is true that many Christians are found to have short tempers, and sometimes we allow the devil to trip us up by some sudden manifestation of evil-speaking or gossip against our souls. This is especially hard to bear when it comes from those in whom we trusted, and often we succumb to the temptation by letting go a flurry of evil words and even cursing, by which the name of Christ is greatly dishonored. When "family feuds" erupt, and satan begins to stir the pot of self defense and retaliation, we should ask God to keep us calm so that we do not add fuel to the fire through un-Christlike words and actions, for when this is done, the words thus spoken can never be fully retrieved, and the spirit of God is grieved away. Let's read:
Ephesians 4:9 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.
In our own experiences we will find it necessary to ask The Lord everyday for His Spirit to pervade our thoughts and actions, so that if any sudden assault on our character or person takes place without warning, we will have already been imbued with His Holy Spirit, and thus we will be enabled to genuinely speak and act calmly without flying into a rage, as is sometimes the case. As Christians, we must win our battles on our knees before temptation comes knocking at our door, and when we are kept by the power of God through faith, we will be strengthened to retain our composure, even when verbal sparks fly. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to seek God for daily renewals of strength and power, so that we may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. Let's read:
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!