Being Tolerant With Others: PART 2
2. Being Tolerant With Others Is Achievable By Lowliness and Gentleness
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering…
Not only love, but also humbleness and gentleness (softness, “peace-ability”, tenderness)
While love allows laxity, humbleness and gentleness encourage us to stoop
N.B. humbleness and gentleness inspire us to give up something. May be an attitude that causes us not to be submissive. e.g. our pride. May be a place of position (i.e. status).
One author said of humility: “It isn’t something we can announce very easily. To claim this virtue is as a rule to forfeit it. Humility is the fairest and rarest of flowers that blooms. Put it on display and instantly it wilts and loses its fragrance!”
Humility is one character trait that should be “closet utterance”, not something we announce from the housetop. Humility simply belongs in one’s life in the private journal of one’s walk with God. When there is humbleness and gentleness, it’s much easier to submit oneself to places whose people are less fortunate than us. Humility allows us to be tolerant. To take time to understand people – their hurts, pains, losses, loneliness, etc.
3. Being Tolerant With Others Is Achievable By Longsuffering
Obj – forbearance; Subj – fortitude i.e. willpower, courage, endurance; it is bearing provocation (challenges, grievance, aggravation, teasing) patiently
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
Life is dynamic and it is said what goes around, comes around. Today may be someone else’s turn but tomorrow could be ours. What should we do when it is someone’s turn? Should we say, “I did not know this”, especially when it is not one of our favourite persons?
Proverbs 24:11-12 addresses our intolerant attitude
Deliver those who are being taken away to death And those who are staggering to the slaughter, O hold them back. If you say, See, we did not know this” does He not consider it who weighs the hurts?And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
And will he not render to man according to his works?
Proverbs 30:11-14
There is a kind of man who curses his father And does not bless his mother
There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes Yet is not washed from his filthiness
There is a kind – oh how lofty are his eyes And his eyelids raised in arrogance.
There is kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives
To devour the afflicted from the earth, And the needy from among men
Conclusion:
God showed us how to be tolerant with each other, by
- reaching down to our level
- by reaching out when we strayed
- by clothing us when we are naked
- by offering us hope when we are hopeless
- by offering forgiveness when we mess up
He has shown us a better way through Jesus, to deal with the unlovable and the unbearable.
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering…
Not only love, but also humbleness and gentleness (softness, “peace-ability”, tenderness)
While love allows laxity, humbleness and gentleness encourage us to stoop
N.B. humbleness and gentleness inspire us to give up something. May be an attitude that causes us not to be submissive. e.g. our pride. May be a place of position (i.e. status).
One author said of humility: “It isn’t something we can announce very easily. To claim this virtue is as a rule to forfeit it. Humility is the fairest and rarest of flowers that blooms. Put it on display and instantly it wilts and loses its fragrance!”
Humility is one character trait that should be “closet utterance”, not something we announce from the housetop. Humility simply belongs in one’s life in the private journal of one’s walk with God. When there is humbleness and gentleness, it’s much easier to submit oneself to places whose people are less fortunate than us. Humility allows us to be tolerant. To take time to understand people – their hurts, pains, losses, loneliness, etc.
3. Being Tolerant With Others Is Achievable By Longsuffering
Obj – forbearance; Subj – fortitude i.e. willpower, courage, endurance; it is bearing provocation (challenges, grievance, aggravation, teasing) patiently
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.
Life is dynamic and it is said what goes around, comes around. Today may be someone else’s turn but tomorrow could be ours. What should we do when it is someone’s turn? Should we say, “I did not know this”, especially when it is not one of our favourite persons?
Proverbs 24:11-12 addresses our intolerant attitude
Deliver those who are being taken away to death And those who are staggering to the slaughter, O hold them back. If you say, See, we did not know this” does He not consider it who weighs the hurts?And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
And will he not render to man according to his works?
Proverbs 30:11-14
There is a kind of man who curses his father And does not bless his mother
There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes Yet is not washed from his filthiness
There is a kind – oh how lofty are his eyes And his eyelids raised in arrogance.
There is kind of man whose teeth are like swords And his jaw teeth like knives
To devour the afflicted from the earth, And the needy from among men
Conclusion:
God showed us how to be tolerant with each other, by
- reaching down to our level
- by reaching out when we strayed
- by clothing us when we are naked
- by offering us hope when we are hopeless
- by offering forgiveness when we mess up
He has shown us a better way through Jesus, to deal with the unlovable and the unbearable.
Comment
© 2024 Created by Raliegh Jones Jr..
Powered by
You need to be a member of Black Preaching Network to add comments!
Join Black Preaching Network