Same Measure!

Same Measure!

Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them. Colossians 3:13 TPT

First, we note that today's extract is addressed to Christians, believers who have come under the same roof of faith and are making that important journey to heaven. This is proof that fellow Christians can also miss the mark and offend you. We are all weak, and we stand only by grace. Our human nature makes us weak and vulnerable, and only by a daily surrender to the help of the Holy Spirit can we daily live right. It will be folly to assume that the church is a place where everyone is nice and sincere. It is a place of pruning, weeding and growth, and as you know, growth and development have a price. 

Second, we have received forgiveness from Jesus too, and it is expected that just as we have received it, we should extend the same to other people. However, like the parable of the unforgiving servant, we can sometimes think the rules don't exactly apply to us, or that this person has so offended us that we can't be expected to just forgive and let go, just like that. Unfortunately, the standard of forgiveness by Jesus is so high that even future sins have been forgiven by His blood as long as they are confessed and forsaken. If a God like Him could let go of all that we did, what could any mortal man do to us that would become so unforgivable that we mortgage our eternity? Is there any hurt so important that we are willing to hold on to it all the way to the throne of judgment? 

So, in the event that another person offends us, we are to offer them what we ourselves have received from God Himself. Well, that is if you have truly received forgiveness. A man can only give out of what He already has, and forgiveness is easy when I know what I have also received from God. I was weak too at the time Jesus came and shed His blood; I didn't even appreciate what He had done at the time, yet He did not withdraw His offer. He extends His arm to me, offering me life eternal. This is the same grace I must offer to others, no matter their past or present. 

All of us are making this journey to heaven. We will need each other to stay focused. No one was given the full measure of grace to stand or walk alone all the way to heaven. We need each other; we grow by fellowship and we conquer by unity. Let us not allow our earthly differences become the stumbling block to our eternal reality. It's forever and ever we are speaking about here. I don't want to come to the end of my earthly life and realise that I had held on to grudges and faults. It won't be worth it. So, i depend on God's grace for this journey. May His grace be always sufficient. His time of favour is here.