Mentoring Minutes

“…forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.” Paul  (Colossians 3:13b)

Love and Lordship in Focus…Unforgiveness in your life breeds bitterness and hatred…not just for those whom you’ve failed to forgive. It will fester until it rears its ugly head toward any and all who have any disagreement or conflict with you. Choose forgiveness and love!

First of all, I pray that you know Christ as Savior and Lord and are able to rejoice in and receive by faith His incredible gift of grace and sacrifice of His Life for the forgiveness of your sin(s) and the promise of eternal life to all who would believe in Him as Savior and Lord!

It is only because of Him that we can even know Love and how to love Him and “one another.” Yesterday we looked at the command to “bear with each other.” In that same verse, the Apostle Paul shows us what must be done in order to follow through with that command. He continue in Colossians 3:13b with, “…Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

As long as you are holding onto any grievance, sin or wrongdoing that someone has brought against you, it is impossible to bear with them if you do not first forgive them. In the same light of Truth we must be willing to ask for forgiveness when we have wronged others.

None of this is easy. As a matter of fact it is impossible without the forgiveness of Christ in our lives, the love of God in and through us and His Spirit that enable us to choose humility to both give and ask for forgiveness. In this way we can “bear with one another” and “forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.”

Maybe, most poignantly, Jesus tells us that our unwillingness to forgive any others means that we are not forgiven…that can’t sit well on Judgment Day (Matthew 6:14-15).

Holding onto any wrong suffered at the hands of another only adds to your burden which makes it eventually impossible to help carry the burdens of others as we are commanded to do as Christ followers.

Food for Thought…What grievances are you still holding onto that are weighing you down? What wrongs have you committed against another that you need to ask forgiveness for? These must happen, and by the grace we have in Christ they can, in order for us grow in Truth and Love for “one another” so more and more can truly come to know Christ as Savior and Lord.

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this message as a way to start.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. Who do you need to ask forgiveness of in order to be obedient to Christ? Go to that person in humility and ask.
4. Who do you need to forgive in order to be obedient to Christ? Lay it before The Lord and as He leads let that person know that you’ve forgiven him/her.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, first of all thank You for the gracious sacrifice and gift of Your Son on the Cross. Without this there would be no way that I could know You, know love and love others. It is only by His death that my sins have been forgiven and paid for so help me to do the same in my relationship with others, pointing them to Him as Savior and Lord. In His precious Name. Amen.

“…bearing with one another,…” Paul  (Colossians 3:13a)

Love and Lordship in Focus…What does it mean to lovingly “bear with one another?” It literally means that we empathetically and patiently build relationships with (relate to) one another in humility and gentleness. If you haven’t noticed this is not always easy…but it doesn’t change God’s Word and how we are to live and relate in Christ!

Remember when Paul told the Ephesians to “be patient and bear with one another in love.” Well this must be pretty important and The Holy Spirit knows we’re going to need to have patience and forbearance…longsuffering with each other because He inspires Paul to tell the believers at Colossi basically the same thing.

In Colossians 3:13a, right after he’s told them not to lie to one another, he writes, “Bear with each other…” There it is again and he tells us how to do this in v. 12, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience;”

Notice how these traits that we’re supposed to put on (and I would say mature in) are right in line with the fruit of The Spirit in Galatians 5:22-24. We are capable of doing this in a very limited fashion in our flesh because we are created in the image of God. However, it is only by The Spirit that we can consistently put these virtues on and mature in these fruits so that even in the difficult times and with difficult people (not that we’re ever one of these) we can “bear with one another.”

Of course it’s not like we’re every unbearable and need others to bear with us…RIGHT! God knows that in a fallen world we are going to need to have others help bear our burdens and walk through difficulties with us and we need to be there for them to do the same.

Who’s helping bear you up and lift your burdens? Who are you bearing with and making their load lighter and their life more bearable…even blessed?

Food for Thought…Christ calls us to build loving relationships that require humility and patience with those that are different from us but far too often are much like us. How are you doing when it comes to getting along with (bearing) with others to show them His Love?

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. Who are you daily bearing with to show them more of Christ?
4. Who do you struggle to “bear with” and what do you need The Holy Spirit to change for you to be lovingly obedient in this “one another” command?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, most of the time it’s easy for me to help others. It is even easy for me to allow others to come alongside me and help bear my burdens. However there are times when it is difficult because of pride, insecurity, fear or other things my flesh, the world and the enemy would remind me of that I struggle to bear with others and even allow them to bear with me. Your Word tells us plainly that we are to do this in the character and fruit of Your Spirit in Christ. May we do so today and each day you give us for Your Kingdom and Glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it—” Paul  (Colossians 3:9-10)

Love and Lordship in Focus…Lying to others is a great dishonor to Christ and His Word…however it is not just outright speaking something that is untrue. Deception and embellishment are forms of lying that do not exhibit our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Last week’s “one another” encouraged us to “think of others as better than ourselves.” One of the ways we do that is to honor others in what and how we share with them…truthfully in word and deed. We are not to lie to, embellish or deceive others in any way if we are truly walking with and in Christ.

The past couple of “one anothers” have been exceptionally powerful and good, even if not easy to follow through with because of our flesh. That’s why in all of these commands, positive or negative, we must die to our flesh…our selfish desires…in order to make God first in all things and then others above self. This is the only way to consistently fulfill these various commands in which we truly love “one another” in Christ, by daily putting on the new person that I am in Him and becoming more like Him!

I can only do this by The Holy Spirit in me and can only receive The Spirit by surrendering and submitting by faith in Christ and allow His grace, Truth and Love to fill me and then overflow to others.

As we continue, we find another negative one that I think we far too often don’t take seriously enough. In Colossians 3:9-10, Paul exhorts us as believers, “Do not lie to each other…” Here’s another “OUCH” if I’m honest and I would imagine it has been the same in your life at some point and maybe even now if your honest. This is not just about the tongue but the mind and heart as well.

What we tend to do is admit and work through the obvious, blatant lies that we know everyone can find out or eventually will notice. However, God’s Word tells us that what is done in darkness (no matter how small, insignificant or hidden we think it is…thus the darkness) will be brought to light (Luke 12:2-3).

We must remember this and continually lay every motive, thought and decision before Him and walk in His Truth. Even the little “white lies,” the partial truths (which are not Truth) told to gain advantage or avoid consequences, and even the prideful embellishment to make us look better in the sight of others, all fall into this category of “Do not lie to each other…”

How are you doing when it comes to lying to others and displaying the Shalom of His Truth in all of your life? You can only have it as you submit to Christ as Savior and Lord.

Food for Thought…Christ calls us to purity and integrity (Shalom – wholeness) where every part of our lives are in line with His Truth. This is what The Holy Spirit through Paul is commanding us to in this “one another.” Will you respond with the integrity that only comes from Christ?

Love in Action –

1. Spend time with Him in His Word and prayer daily – read and study the Scriptures in this post as a way to start.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. What does lie, deception, embellishment conjure up in your mind?”
4. What do you need to do to make sure you are in no way deceiving others in order to honor Christ and them?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, forgive me when I excuse the little lies, embellishments, and “twists” on the Truth that move me out of Your Shalom and integrity and into disobedience. Help me to receive this “one another” command for all that it is and remove and lies or deception not only from my lips but from my heart and mind. In Jesus Name. Amen.