Be Kind and Compassionate with One Another
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
On the surface, this seems like it should be an easy task, but in reality, this may be one of the hardest things for Christians to do. Sure, we tell others to do this, but when it comes to dealing with these situations, not much else is harder to do.
Paul tells us in verse 31, “Let all bitterness, anger, and wrath, shouting, and slander be removed from you. Followed by “Be kind and compassionate” in verse 32.
In the flesh, we can always justify bitterness. We feel we can be righteous in our anger for the wrongs we have suffered. We can slander and shout at the object of our hurt. But that’s not God’s way. We are to be kind and compassionate despite how we feel.
There was a time I was in an uncomfortable situation. I found myself in a room with dozens of Christians. None of these people had ever talked to me about this situation. They had heard only one side of the issue and had made their mind up. I was in a room with these people, brothers, and sisters in Christ. And they were talking about me, slandering me, to the point that one of the officials commented to me, “you don’t have any friends here” What a sad testimony for Christ that day.
How different things could have been had these words of Paul been heeded. We are here just for a short while; we need to live, allowing the spirit to indwell us. We need to allow the fruit of the spirit to permeate us. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let’s face the fruit of the spirit can be summed up in “Kind and Compassionate.”
When you feel bitterness or anger welling up in you, remember, he, who is in you, is greater than the bitterness and anger you are feeling. Turn it over to him, and show the kindness and compassion he can give you.
