TOLERANCE
Scripture Reading - Romans 2:2-4
2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and not judge you when you do them, too? 4 Don't you realize how kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Or don't you care? Can't you see how kind he has been in giving you time to turn from your sin? NLT
Some have said, “One way to figure out what something is, is to first examine what it is not”. In this case we will start with the word “intolerant” because that is what is commonly seen in the earth today. The word “intolerant” basically means not putting up with someone else’s beliefs, manners, actions and words that are different from your own. This is especially true when it comes to religious beliefs. So many people in the world today have different values, which means they will inherently have diverse beliefs. Not everyone who believes in God will be a Christian and invariably not all people will be open to accepting a person for who they are (precious fruit of the earth) as opposed to what they can do for them (will they aid or assist me in achieving my goal). This is why it is so important for Believers in Christ to be “tolerant”. Being “tolerant” generally means having the attitude of heart that through our differences I still love you. Biblical “tolerance” is based upon the Love of God because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from all our sins. Surely, Romans 2:4 reminds us that our God is “tolerant” toward all or else how could we be saved. All men are considered unbelievers until they come into the knowledge and confession of Jesus as their Lord. So our example shows us that God “tolerated” our foolish unbelief and rebellion to give us a good long chance to repent (change our mind) from our sins by turning unto our Heavenly Father in the Name of Jesus. We (ihlcc) find it unacceptable to separate ourselves from certain people simply because they believe differently. Just like this election year many are running to and fro claiming to belong to a certain political affiliation whereas we (ihlcc) only boast to be in Christ. The Lord is “tolerant” because it brings unity, harmony and love. Any person can disagree with another but true strength of character comes from knowing you disagree on certain topics but you don’t let the difference of opinions distance you from loving that individual. The Believer must decide to agree with the Word of God that the Lord loves that person and they are precious in our (all Loving Children of God with the God’s Head included) sight. “Tolerance” is forbearing and you will see that word more commonly used in the Holy Bible. “Tolerance” is bearing the sin or disagreement of another upon your own cross (as a prayer shawl) as your calling of God to bear one another burdens. The Lord has equipped all His Anointed Children with the burden removing yoke destroying power of God so why so many Christians choose to express “no tolerance” where “tolerance” is needed is puzzling to say the least. “Tolerance” has an enduring quality that keeps it steady in the face of opposition and contradiction. The spiritual understanding of being “tolerant” separates the little children from the young adults in Christ Jesus. The question is not, “Will you be tolerant?” but rather “Will you truly represent Christ or lower your stature to represent the carnal man (the nature of the flesh)? We (ihlcc) admonish you to choose Christ by showing your “tolerance” to both those inside the Body of Christ (Christians) and all those outside the Body of Christ (unbelievers) just like Jesus did when He walked the face of this earth. If you firmly believe Jesus is still alive today show Him in your very own lifestyle, works and words by being “tolerant” to all. Amen!