Christian

Colossians 3:12-14 (KJV) Says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

In the above passage of scripture we are instructed as God's elect to be merciful, kind, humble, meek, long-suffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving. Often times I believe we read these words, but fail to give their meaning any true consideration. To be Christian means to be Christ-like, and although none of us will ever be of the character of Christ who is perfect, we are to follow the example Jesus set for us on how to behave as Christians. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are sanctified which means to be set apart. As such we should stand out, not because we are any better than others, but because having the Holy Spirit dwelling within us our behavior, attitude, and demeanor reflect who we are in Christ. People should be able to see the characteristics in the above passage of scripture within us. If we take the time to examine the meaning of these characteristics, it may help us to better evaluate how well they are shining through in our own lives.

Let's look at what it means to be merciful for instance. To be merciful by definition is to show compassion and forgiveness toward someone, when it is within your power to do them harm. When you find yourself in a position to repay someone who has hurt you or wronged you in some way, do you show them mercy, compassion and forgiveness or do you move forward with something that hurts them equally as bad as what they did to hurt you?

We all know what it means to be kind, but do we practice it? How about humility? Can you say that you have a humble spirit? Or Do you lift yourself up above others, and behave in a proud manner as if you are somehow better than those around you? By definition to be humble is to show a low estimate of one's importance. This is not to be confused with low self-esteem or to say that we should not take pride in ourselves, we should. The problem comes when we allow ourselves to grow so proud of ourselves that we begin to believe we are above others. This prideful spirit is made evident in a lofty attitude in regard to self, and a demeaning attitude toward others. Are you are guilty of being prideful and boastful?

Do you practice meekness, which by definition means to be quiet and gentle? Or do you behave in a manner that is loud and boisterous? Can you say that you are long-suffering which by definition means to show patience in times of trouble that has been caused by others? Or do you lash out at those at fault, and begin a verbal assault of blame? Do you need work in any of these areas?

Are you forgiving or do you struggle with that? If you are one who has an unforgiving spirit, then I urge you to address that issue immediately because the Bible tells us in Matthew 6:14-16 (KJV) that if we do not forgive others then God will not forgive us. If you have an unforgiving spirit consider the multiple times God has forgiven you, and then ask yourself why it is you struggle so hard to forgive? When we think about it in that light, it should not be very difficult to forgive one another.

Finally, we are to be forbearing toward one another, and by definition that means to be patient, tolerant, easy going, forgiving, and understanding. Can you say you are all these things, or are there areas that you recognize you need work in? If you recognize areas you need work in write them down, and begin improving upon them today. We all have areas of weakness, and we will continue to as long as we live because we are fallible human beings, and God understands that. He knows our hearts, however, and He is fully aware of whether or not we have an honest desire to improve on ourselves and our behavior toward others.

The above named character traits are just a few of the many Jesus demonstrated for us. There are so many more examples available to us in God's Word, and I encourage you to be conscience of the meaning of each one as you come across them in your reading. I urge you to take a moment to honestly examine your behavior. If you profess to be a Christian, I urge you to ask yourself whether or not your character reflects that of someone who is living their life in a Christ-like manner. We all have areas of weakness that need our attention, and that is to be expected because we will never be perfect. It is important, however, that we recognize those weaknesses, and begin working on them immediately so that we can be the witnesses to others that God has called us to be.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.