Bearing With Your Brother

September 14, 2018 | By Chuck

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive"(Col.3:12-13). The idea of bearing with someone carries a negative connotation. If we have to bear with someone that typically means the situation is not positive. We bear with others at times of conflict and disagreement. As uncomfortable as this can be, Christians are called to bear with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Since none of us are perfect and at times we say and do things that we shouldn't, we definitely need to understand more about bearing with our brothers and sisters. In Colossians 3:12, before he ever mentions "bearing with one another", Paul gives attention to some character qualities that Christians should possess. "Compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience" are characteristics that will help us to bear with our brothers and sisters. In fact, I believe you'll find it very difficult to bear with someone if you don't possess and practice these qualities. Normally the times we need to bear with others are high stress and difficult, so compassion and patience are always essential. Remember, nobody is perfect so let's all clothe ourselves with these qualities Paul mentions and always be willing to bear with our brothers and sisters even in the most difficult circumstances. "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the feelings of the weak, and not to please ourselves"(Rom.15:1).