Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIVUK)
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
This sounds like an instruction doesn’t it. This is what you have to do if you want to be a Christian. It is of course an instruction, we’re to seek to put aside that way of living and adopt another. If you see this as a duty, however, it is very hard to do. I like to see it a different way, which I think makes it a whole lot easier. As I said on Sunday, Jesus is my inspiration, or to put it another way, my hero. When I look at him in the Bible and as I get to know him better, I find I am inspired to want to be like him, to seek to live as he did. When I see the gracious way he treated others, I find I want to do the same. When I see his compassion at work, I want to be compassionate. When I see his desire for others to be treated justly, I feel the same indignation about injustice and determination to do something about it. I suspect this brings about change in me a lot easier than simply trying to keep some rules for the sake of keeping rules.
Spirit, help me to follow Jesus’ example today in my dealings with others.
(Photo by Vince Fleming on Unsplash)
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