Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
This passage of scripture teaches us of the necessity of cultivating a humble mind, and the spirit of forbearance, elements that are sadly deficient in the lives of too many Christians. In the above verses, Paul uses the word "Long-suffering", and it means exactly what it says, Long------------------------------------------ Suffering. Even though as Christians we may have our mood swings, and at times we may have a fit over some injustice that may have been done, yet it is our sacred duty to keep all of our emotions and bad feelings under control, through the indwelling of The Holy Spirit, so that we do not speak and act in an unbecoming manner, thus bringing the cause of Christ into reproach, and fostering the atmosphere of bitterness and alienation.
The Bible refers to a type of situation, in which a root of bitterness can spring up and thereby many be defiled, and it is often the case that the root cause is not merely wrongs that were committed by one against the other, but rather a lack of the spirit of forbearance, which will cause us to seek the others' spiritual well-being and reinstatement, instead of justice which may be our due. Furthermore, the spirit of forbearance will show how much we value each others company and friendship, and if Christ is reigning in our hearts, we will be willing to suffer actual loss, just so that the bond of unity may remain intact. This is no easy matter, but through Christ we can do all things because He strengthens us. Let's read:
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; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
In our day, and in our own experiences there may be petty grievances that we hold onto, and we may even endeavor to worship God, at the same time that there are bad feelings harbored against a brother or a sister in the community of believers. Christ also gave us instruction on how we should move forward in such cases, in that we should make concerted efforts to heal the wounds that were caused, before coming to kneel before The Great King.
In instances such as these, the issue is not really who is right and who is wrong, but rather who is willing to take the first proactive steps in restoring the bonds that may have been broken. The truth of the matter is that it is not possible to worship God in sincerity, whilst cherishing a spirit of bitterness and hatred against any believer for any reason, and therefore it is important that we seek to make good on the following instructions, as coming from the mind of Christ. Let's read:
Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
Let us therefore try by the grace of God to follow in the footsteps of Christ, who was willing to forgive and heal relationships that were broken because of open hatred towards Himself. If we are willing to cultivate the spirit of forbearance, God will give us the necessary strength and willingness to cooperate with Him in this delicate work, because the general tenor of the gospel is to restore and reinstate that which was broken.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to submit ourselves to God's methods and principles in the process of reconciliation, for God is greatly honored and satan is signally defeated when we cultivate a spirit that is quick to forgive and move on. Let's read:
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!