9 Therefore, we also from the day which we heard, do not cease praying for you and asking that you be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,10 to walk worthy of the Lord in every way pleasing to Him in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:9-10 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)
In discussions with other believers we have all come to the conclusion that our walks in this life are actually a continuous series of tests and trials, putting us into places of contention in which it is has become apparent to us that the way we have gone before is not how God would have us go and be walking worthy of the Lord in every way pleasing to Him in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God….
If we become self-focused and prayer-less through this then this could become very burdensome and discouraging. However, as seek the Lord’s face in prayer and repentance we see that God is putting those things in us that are not of Christ under the spotlight, such as pride. Our response to this is crucial. We can respond the way the world does in arrogance and self-protection or we can, in the power of the Holy Spirit, deny self and μετὰ πάσης ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ πραΰτητος, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, seek to ἀνέχομαι, forebear with those with whom we are in contention ἐν ἀγάπῃ, in love. Of course, I have paraphrased Ephesians 4:2, which is actually about unity within the Body of Christ. However, I am convinced that we must also apply the same forbearance to everyone while never compromising by unifying with those who are not true Christians. Shouldn’t we treat everyone the way our Lord would?