Mentoring Minutes

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

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?

Love and Lordship…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 and Lordship…Action Item(s)

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.

First of all I have to shout out a big Happy Birthday to my precious and beautiful wife, Ami! Happy 29^th Birthday, again, Babe! OK, so maybe you’re not 29 anymore but…You’re even more beautiful and wonderful than the day I met you…and the day I married you! I am so blessed!

As one quick thinking husband said to his wife, “How do you expect me to remember your birthday when you look as young and beautiful as you did the day I met you?” Don’t try that one guys even if it does sound great…and is true. Always remember your wife’s birthday! Leads us right into today’s post…

“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)

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.

Don’t Lie to One Another

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.

Love and Lordship…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 and Lordship…Action Item(s)

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.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves.” Paul  (Philippians 2:3)

How can we as selfish human beings be humble and place others above ourselves? Only in Christ and by His Spirit.

Last week’s “one another” called us to “submit to one another out of reverence or honor for Christ.” You want to know where this begins?

Philippians 2:3 gives us the example of Christ and tells us to do the same thing, “…In humility consider others better than yourselves.” Another command that shows us that the essence of Godly Love in and through us in Christ is to place others above ourselves. We can’t truly do this if we don’t know and love who we are in Christ.

A famous pastor and author tweeted a few years back, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is not thinking of yourself at all.” This is another one of those “pastorisms” that sounds great and may motivate us to act in the flesh but it’s not truthful according to God’s Word. Romans 12:3 clearly states what Humility looks like, “Do not think of yourself more highly that you should but do think of yourself with sober (clear) judgment according to the measure of faith God has given you.”

Humility is being confident and content in who you are in Christ (measure of faith) so that you can willingly submit and lift others above yourself. See John 13:3 for Jesus modeling of this humility that is spoken of in Philippians 2:3-5. You can only do this consistently in Christ as your flesh will always rise up to the comparisons, ratings and rankings that the world uses to feed your pride and destroy your life and relationships.

Let’s first submit to Christ and then to one another as we humble ourselves and truly choose to consider others better than ourselves because we know who we are in Christ.

Would you like to know more about Christ and who you are or can be in Him?

Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – Whenever we are in our flesh we experience humiliation…when we are walking in Christ and His Spirit we practice humility. Imagine what your relationships would look like if you were walking in Christ-like humility?

Love and Lordship…Action Item(s)

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 comes to mind when you hear the words “humility” or “humiliation?”
4. What is your experience when it comes to humiliation and humility? Have you figured out the difference in order to be like Christ?

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.