Examples Of God

 By: Grace Metzger

Make allowance for each other’s faults,
and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember,
the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Recently I’ve started working with some difficult people. It’s been very hard to forgive their faults when they continue to do the same things over and over again. I’ve been very short with them and I don’t love that so I started reading more about how the Bible handles other people faults and transgressions.

So show them your love, and prove to all the
churches that our boasting about You is justified.
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭8‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I know the Bible talks a lot about loving your neighbor as yourself. But this verse was the one that got me thinking. Am I proving to them that my boasting of God is justified? I am showing them God’s amazing and wonderful qualities or is my anger and frustration disproving every good thing I say about God?

Our actions are tied to how non believers seen Christianity. Some people aren’t normally around believers so they look to you as an example of God. 

You will recognize them by their fruits. 
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Do others see your fruit? Do others see your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? Or are they seeing hatred, anger, and lack of self control? We have a tremendous responsibility, we can lead as examples of God’s goodness for others. But we need to recognize that responsibility and take it seriously. I look back at my interactions with my coworkers, were they seeing God through my actions or were they seeing me and my faults? I can’t expect them to be perfect, nor do I expect you or myself to be. What I can expect is how I react to their imperfections. Watching my actions and asking myself, is this going to lead them closer to God or farther away.

I challenge you this week to acknowledge your responsibility in being an example for God. Whenever you feel your frustration or anger rise stop and think, “what example am I being right now.”

Discussion Question:
How do you handle your frustration with others?