I have realized that I am sometimes quick to bash/to rebuke-while forgetting the well-being of the ones I rebuke.But God is teaching to treat others as He treats me.God,never gets weary and speaks impatiently with me when I err.Instead,He gently show me my errors in love,without discouraging me and when I see these defects,He bids me to lean on Him for strength.And I am praying for this mindset.For patience for others like Christ is with me.To never forget how far God has led me-for it is easy,to forget,and to be impatient with those who struggle with the sins I once struggled with.The devotion below,talks about how we can carry out such a spirit of patience towards the erring.
Patience With the Erring
"Not all who profess to be workers for Christ are true
disciples. Among those who bear His name, and who
are even numbered with His workers, are some who do
not represent Him in character. They are not governed
by His principles. These persons are often a cause of
perplexity and discouragement to their fellow workers
who are young in Christian experience; but none need
be misled. Christ has given us a perfect example. He bids
us follow Him.
Till the end of time there will be tares among the
wheat. When the servants of the householder, in their
zeal for his honor, asked permission to root out the tares,
the master said: “Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares,
ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow
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together until the harvest.” Matthew 13:29, 30.
In His mercy and long-suffering, God bears patiently
with the perverse and even the falsehearted. Among
Christ’s chosen apostles was Judas the traitor. Should it
then be a cause of surprise or discouragement that there
are falsehearted ones among His workers today? If He
who reads the heart could bear with him who He knew
was to be His betrayer, with what patience should we bear
with those at fault.
And not all, even of those who appear most faulty, are
like Judas. Peter, impetuous, hasty, and self-confident,
often appeared to far greater disadvantage than Judas did.
He was oftener reproved by the Saviour. But what a life
of service and sacrifice was his! What a testimony does
it bear to the power of God’s grace! So far as we are
capable, we are to be to others what Jesus was to His
disciples when He walked and talked with them on the
earth.
Regard yourselves as missionaries, first of all, among
your fellow workers. Often it requires a vast amount of
time and labor to win one soul to Christ. And when a
soul turns from sin to righteousness, there is joy in the
presence of the angels. Think you that the ministering
spirits who watch over these souls are pleased to see how
indifferently they are treated by some who claim to be
Christians? Should Jesus deal with us as we too often
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deal with one another, who of us could be saved?
Remember that you cannot read hearts. You do not
know the motives which prompted the actions that to you
look wrong. There are many who have not received a
right education; their characters are warped, they are hard
and gnarled, and seem to be crooked in every way. But
the grace of Christ can transform them. Never cast them
aside, never drive them to discouragement or despair
by saying, “You have disappointed me, and I will not
try to help you.” A few words spoken hastily under
provocation—just what we think they deserve—may cut
the cords of influence that should have bound their hearts
to ours."-Help in Daily Living,pp36,37
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