Devotions: Christ-like Conduct

 

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32 New American Standard Bible 1995

 

This should seem like a given as far as conduct toward believers, but unfortunately it is a message as needed now as it was then. Even among those who share the faith, sin gets in the way. We choose self over others and let our old nature rule our actions. We forget what a privilege it is to be part of this family of believers and view ourselves above others. We forget what we would be without the love of Christ and what we have been forgiven. It is important to always remember what Christ has done for us, what He has forgiven, how He loves us, and how He treats us. That will help give us perspective in how we treat others. We need to be kind because that is love. It doesn’t matter how we are treated, we are always to respond in kindness. We need to be tender-hearted. Hard-heartedness is a sign of the old self before salvation. God said He would remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh when we believe in Him. If we are hard-hearted toward others it shows that we are not acting in the newness of the Spirit. We are commanded to have a heart of compassion for others, this phrase referred to the seat of emotions in Hebrew culture. Being cold, unsympathetic and unemotional is not godly, nor is it kind. We also need to forgive. We have been forgiven so much, more than I believe we will ever know on this earth at least. How could we demand that others repay us when we have been forgiven so much? Are we better than God? It is so easy to justify our unforgiveness, “you don’t know what they did,” “they’re not even sorry.” Yet Jesus forgave us before we wanted forgiveness. He died before we were born so that He could forgive us. The Bible says if we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven. Unforgiveness is one of the greatest forms of pride and injustice, for we won’t do what the God of the universe did for us and commanded that we do. I know it can be hard, especially when the pain goes deep, but it is necessary, not for them but for us. The whole purpose of forgiveness is not to free them from responsibility, but to free us from bondage to what they did to us. God is judge and He will deal with what happened. It is not our place to do that for Him. Holding onto what happened will only destroy us. The enemy uses it to destroy so many Christians and families by making us think we should withhold it, when he knows that is all he needs to keep us bound. Christ forgave those who crucified Him, how can we do any less?

How do you treat others, especially believers? What are you holding onto? What is the status of your heart toward certain people? Is it Christ-like? Ask God to help heal the wounds. Ask Him to give you a love for others like He has, to see them as He does. Ask Him to help you let go of the past and be delivered from the pain and bondage.

 

 

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