Walk Worthy- Forbear

"Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love." Eph  4:1-2.

We have to live our lives in LOWLINESS, in MEEKNESS,  being LONG-SUFFERING, FORBEARING ONE ANOTHER- in LOVE.

Do we?

Just how forbearing are we?  Do we set limits on our forbearance? We say things like- "I've had enough."  We say those words don't we? We end our forbearance when we reach a point often times undetermined from the get go but decided upon during a situation that is not to our liking.   We are blessed beyond comprehension that our Savior didn't say those words concerning us and our behavior. He forbears with us. 

This doesn't mean we won't ever get angry, our Savior became angry at the results of sin.  Our Savior overturn money tables at the Temple, our Savior cried out His despair over the hardness of the Pharisees hearts.  But our Savior did not stop the soldiers taking Him to the cross and say, "I've had enough."  

Love demands forbearance.  People who do not forbear hurt others, they don't love them. A healthy, mentally, emotionally stable mother who abandons her child because the child is to difficult to deal with, is not loving that child.  A marriage partner who abandons their spouse because it's too hard to endure that spouse's bad habits (not talking adultery or abuse here)  is not loving that spouse.  When we stop forbearing we STOP LOVING.

We are called to forbear one another ALL the time, daily, minutely. Over and over our forbearance is tested. Satan loves to use our inability to endure irritations large and small against us.  By the grace of God we will be able to recognize Satan's ploys and call upon God to keep us from the evil that Satan would have us commit.

Please, Father, please teach us forbearance, teach us love, teach us to rely solely upon YOU.