Humility, Maturity

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, (2) with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, (3) being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I like those words, humilty, gentleness, patience, tolerance.  What does that mean?

Humility-you acknowledge that you are a sinner, far from perfect and no better on your own than anyone else.  It is a tough thing to have true humility and I am still learning it.

Gentleness-How do we react to others?  Do we speak harshly and angrily?  Impatiently.  Or do we try to speak lovingly and gently.

Patience-Another tough one.  People need time, but more on what that doesn't mean in a minute.

Tolerance-This one is misused and abused by the world.  I fear that this twisted meaning has made its way into the church.  Tolerance does not apply to SIN but only to sinners.  Sometimes those who are in sin get upset when that sin is named and they are called to repentance.  The shining of light upon sin and the calling for repentance is not intolerance.  We are supposed to name sin and call for repentance.  People need time, but not to continue in sin.  One of the best examples of Jesus embodying this is the woman caught in adultery.  First he dispatched those who would condemn her to death while ignoring their own sin.  Then he forgave her.  BUT there was one more thing.  "Go and sin no more."    He called her out of her sin.

When I'm asleep and someone turns on the light, I hate it.  I want that light off!  People in darkness can get pretty upset when we turn a light on.  But that does not mean we shouldn't reach for that switch.

John 3:19-21  "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  (20)  "For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  (21)  "But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

This is why there is no place for secrecy in the church.  We have come to make a clear distinction between privacy and secrecy.  Secrecy says, "I don't want you to know my struggles."  Privacy says, "You don't need all the gory details."    Let's not be afraid of the light.  That is why I work very hard on trying to be transparent.  I share my struggles, failures, and weaknesses here on the blog, from the pulpit, and in one on one conversations.  I am a deeply flawed and weak man apart from the work of Christ in my life.  It is only in Christ that I have strength.    I don't need to stand in protection, defiance, or defense.  God justifies so I don't need to justify myself.    Shining light is not an act of hostility, it is an act of love.

Do you welcome the light?  Are you eager for secrecy, or are you ready to be humble before not only God, but His people?  I'm still working on all this and I hope that you are too.  THAT is true maturity.