Category: Ephesians 4:2

Getting Back to the Basics

1/25/2016

“bearing with one another in love”
~Ephesians 4:2(c)

“Bearing with” is defined in the original Greek as : to hold up. This type of "holding up" refers to holding up under the weight or burden of another. It basically means to stand firm in the relationships with other Believers, and there are two ways to look at it.

We put up with each other’s weaknesses. Period. We don’t cut and run. We don’t cut each other off. We don’t stop speaking, ignore, or abandon one another. Relationships get strained, but we reconcile, even if we have to redefine boundaries.
We show support to those who are struggling…and we ALL are struggling with something! Again, we don’t cut and run or ignore those who are heavy burdened. We support them through encouragement, kindness, friendship, and sometimes correction and instruction. But we don’t let them sink!

Either way you look at it, Paul says we should bear with one another in Love.

A year ago, we began 2015 with a Bible Study Blog on the Christian Woman Chronicles Page about Love, taken from the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. One of the things we learned was that no matter what our Gift, calling, or “anointing,” if we don’t have Love for one another, we are not being effective. We can’t even get to the outward part of progressing in a godly manner until we deal with the condition of our heart in our walk with God and others; and Paul gets right to it!

The Love we show one another when we bear with them is not an emotion. It has nothing to do with how we feel. It has everything to do with obedience to God’s Word, how we are to treat one another. We don’t just bear with those we like, agree with, admire, respect, or are friends with. We don’t just bear with those we have pity on or those who treat us “right.” If people are to truly see Christ-like progress in our Salvation walk, this is step one. If lowliness and gentleness are the Christianity PhD courses, Love is kindergarten class. Jesus Himself said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) This is Christianity 101. We need to master it!

How do we master Loving others according to scripture?

Study what the Bible says about it.
Meditate on scripture so it comes to mind when it’s needed
Ask God for Grace to obey. This is not a human or natural way to love, so we need God’s power to do it.
Remember that obedience leads to increased Grace. There will be times we will just have to obey with tears in our eyes and bitterness in our hearts. The more we obey, the more Grace we receive to obey, and the more bitterness fades.
Look for opportunities to show Love. They are all around us, all day, every day!

Seeking to Grow my Walk with God and Others,
Dawn~

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Living Christ-like

1/18/2016

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"with all lowliness and gentleness,
with longsuffering,"
~Ephesians 4:2 (a &b)

Well that didn’t take long! Last week I mentioned that during the rest of the chapter of Ephesians Four we would get to the how of making progress in a godly manner, and here we are with the very next words from Apostle Paul’s pen! “With all lowliness and gentleness with longsuffering...” Not quite the kind of “God-like” we want to think of right? Right! This is the kind of God-like attitude that comes only after enduring much suffering and persecution. This is the “big girl panties” attitude we hear about from spectators who may have never walked in our shoes. This is “graduate level Christianity” as Os Hillman puts it often in his Workplace Believer Daily Devotions. Why do I say all this? Because lowliness and gentleness (meekness) are probably two of the greatest descriptions used for Jesus Christ Himself!

Walking Christ-like is not first the miracles and Gifts and power to raise the dead. Walking Christ-like is first and foremost an attitude of lowliness and gentleness (also defined as meekness), among those He came to serve. We can see it all through the Gospels, but nowhere more than in the account of His birth. He left majesty, authority, and Glory to take on the humblest and simplest of human existences in order to reach those who would otherwise NEVER have access to His throne. Does this make you weep?? I do… The kind of Supreme Being that it takes to accept and carry out such an act of service is beyond comprehension.

Thankfully we are not asked to make such a great sacrifice. This God-sized sacrifice has been made once and for all! However, as Believers, we have been generously endowed with Power and Gifts meant to be used in a manner worthy of the one who provided them. That means that as we progress in our walk, we don’t make a show or act superior (that’s not the “god-like” I am referring to). Instead more and more, we take on the nature of Christ’s lowliness and meekness as we progress in a godly manner in our walk with Christ and others. In other words, when people see us making progress in God, they don’t see a superstar, they see past us to Christ in us.

Growing my Walk with God and Others,
Dawn~

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Getting Back to the Basics

Living Christ-like

Make Mondays Matter

~dlb~
dawnlbedingfield

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Getting Back to the Basics

Living Christ-like

Make Mondays Matter

~dlb~dawnlbedingfield

Archives

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~dlb~
dawnlbedingfield