Bearing In Love

With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love.

Ephesians 4:2

‘Bear with me, please.’  If we hear that request, we understand that the person who makes it is bidding for our patience, understanding, tolerance and acceptance, even though what they are saying or doing may be pushing the boundaries of acceptability.  In our text for today, the Apostle Paul calls upon the Ephesians, and us really, to ‘bear with one another in love.’  Christ affords us a multitude of examples of this ‘bearing in love’ by His interactions with the disciples.  The disciples were idiosyncratic, and spiritually immature.  At one point they were wanting to call down fire on those who did not receive them.  On another occasion, they were forbidding someone else from proclaiming Christ because he ‘followed not with us.’  Christ was continually forbearing with them because of His great love for them.  From the example of Christ, we learn how to be gracious in our ‘bearing with one another in love.’  We all have our idiosyncrasies, and can behave in spiritually immature ways from time to time.  The ‘bearing with one another in love’ is an imitation of Christ.  We will both give it on the one hand and need it from others on the other.  As we look to Christ, we can have confidence that He, by His Holy Spirit, will enable us to ‘bear with one another in love.’

Our most Gracious and most Patient God,
we rejoice that You are forbearing with us.
We praise You that in spite of our weaknesses,
You continually bear with us until You conform us
to the mirror-image of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning