| “Be courteous.” One might think that true Christians would need no such exhortation, but that we would naturally, as believers in Christ, “be courteous” to one another, and even to all men. But such is not the case. Were the Corinthian believers showing courtesy when “brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers”? Were they manifesting courtesy when “there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions”? And how is our own courtesy? Do we show friendliness and kindness in the home, among our workfellows, and toward the saints, remembering that “he that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city”? How needful that we “put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” We manifest Christ in our lives “by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned.” So “be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,” and “see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” |
