Tolerance and Anger

Tolerance and Anger
by J. B. Jones

I wanted to depart a little from my grandparents words and add my own on a subject that has consumed me this week. I thought I might could find a good devotional or sermon, but I decided to do my own research and share my feelings on the subject.

I will start with Tolerance.

How in the world do you tolerate some people? I have been having a hard time with this lately. I usually never have much trouble getting along with all types of people, but every so often I guess it is inevitable to run into impossible people. Then, I found Ephesians 4:2 - "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love." Do you just have to like everyone and get along with everyone?

Let's break the verse down -
1. humility - According to my trusty Strong's concordance Greek dictionary, the word means lowliness of mind. Wikipedia defines humility as out of the goodness of your heart, humble, and not proud. So basically, "with all humility" means we must not think too much of ourselves, but simply be humble.

2. gentleness - One word = Consideration. We should be humble and considerate of and to everyone.

3. patience - You have got to love this definition from dictionary.com - the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. The Greek word for patience means long suffering. We should be humble, considerate, and bear annoyance and pain without complaint. Great!

4. tolerance - My new favorite word is tolerance only without the humility, gentleness, and patience. Simply put tolerance is being able to stand to be around someone. Of course, that is my definition. Actually, in this verse, tolerance is to hold up, bear with, and endure. Oh well, I guess that means I not only have to be humble, considerate, and patient - I must endure or bear others.

5. love - Finally, this magical word that has so many meanings to so many different people. To our most high God, this word simply means love - beloved. He loves us and we should love others by not thinking too much of ourselves, being considerate, patient, and showing tolerance for one another.

"Therefore, I , the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling. one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift."
Ephesians 4:1-7

Anger - I feel I don't even need to talk about anger after really examining God's word.

I would like to point out - Ephesians 4:26 - "Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger." "Be angry" - I think this is saying you can be irritated with someone which is simply inevitable in human beings, but what you do with that anger is key. "DO NOT SIN" Don't let the anger consume you without giving it over to God. Further down in chapter 4 verse 29 instructs us "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth...." Then in verse 31 - "let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice."

Ephesians 4 is full of good instructions for living. I have certainly been convicted of my feelings of irritation and bitterness. My prayer is that I can be considerate, humble, patient, tolerant, and loving with everyone I come across. I know that will not always be easy, but praise God for his grace (undeserved favor)! I want to close my rantings with the very last verse in this chapter that says it all - "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." Powerful!