Because He Bore With Us

Bearing with one another accomplishes at least three things. It solves the unity of the church. It helps us to be able to safeguard our relationship, and it reveals the character of God.

When we enter into this fellowship called the church, the fellowship of the Christians, one of the key ingredients, one of the things that we are invited to partner and be able to participate is to be able to be together in patience. We're going to have to bear with one another because without that, differences and offenses will fracture our fellowship.

The idea of bearing with one another, putting up with people, their struggles, their issues, their challenges, is one that we really need God's grace to help us to grow into. We need the Lord to work literally in our hearts to help us be intentional, be careful, and be willing to be patient and bear with one another.

Here's what Paul says in Ephesians 1:3, you are to make every effort. That means you are going to be intentional to restrain from the desire to get even with other people or maybe be able to walk away because you don't want to be caught up in a situation when people get under your skin. Bearing with one another is the ability to put up with attitudes, shortcomings, failures and struggles of others. It is a step higher than just normal patience.

But let's be honest, what do we do when we are faced with those kind of challenges? When we cannot stand the actions and the acts and the shortcoming of others? we try to either be able to avoid, or we withdraw from the situation, or we build walls because we don't want to get more of what people are doing to us, or we simply walk away.

But the gospel, the goodness of Jesus, calls us to something different. It calls us to make an allowance for each other's actions, shortcomings, and failures because patience is the site of action. And how do we do this? We do this because in a very real sense, the Bible says we are members of one another. Look at Romans 12:5, it says, it says, "in Christ, though we were many, we have been formed to one body and each member belongs to each other."

Now, did you know the opposite of patience is not impatient? In some ways, John of the Cross, one of the preachers as well in our time says, in talking about the seven deadly sins, he says this, he names pride as the opposite of patience because it is a tendency to condemn others and become impatient and judgmental of their shortcoming, their struggles, and their weaknesses up to and including their struggles in their spiritual journey.

So when we judge, when we talk about other struggles in their own walks of faith or in their own life, then John of the Cross says we're not just being impatient, but we're actually being prideful. And so here's a question for us. What do people learn from us?By observing us, What do they know about Jesus when they observe how we relate with one another? How we are patient, how we build up with one another, how we handle our conversations, disagreements, and conflict? Because building with others serves the unity of the church.

Bearing with one another, safeguards relationships. Think about it, marriages, families, dating relationships, businesses and friendships, how many of these relationships fall apart because we cannot be able to bear with one another in love? The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4, "love is patient." Love actively waits without resentment, even when we are hurt or even we are mistreated.

The Life Application Bible reminds us that patience is one of the aspects of this fruit of the Spirit, and it shows up in our relationship as we patiently put up with one another. How is that possible? Because of the Holy Spirit, He strengthens our endurance that God gives us to be able to bear and live in His way. Now look at Ephesians 1:3 with me, it says this, "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bar of peace." Do whatever it takes to be able to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bar of peace. How do we do that? We'll go back to verse 2. By "Being patient, bearing with one another in love."

Now, Scripture invites us to pause and ask ourselves this question. How might this last week have gone differently if we had followed these commands? "Be humble, be patient, and bear with one another." How would have things been different had you followed those commands? Because patience requires love, the unconditional, sacrificial, others-centered type of love.

Bearing with one another assumes that love sometimes will feel like a burden. It'll feel heavy. Like, you have to have a willingness to carry a load without expecting rewards, thank you, or any of those things. So, we forgive quickly, we bear quickly, we love deeply. Why do we do that? Remember, we have been called, invited into a relationship with God. We put up with others. We bear with one another because someone else has been able to bear with us.