“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

Every born again believer in Jesus Christ must always remember that we all have our faults. There isn't a single one of us that "has it all together". Only in Christ are we faultless (see Colossians 1:22). He is the One that binds us together as the family of God. Gracefully receiving others is a call of the Holy Spirit. I'm not implying the acceptance of sin, rather the acceptance of personality and personal growth. We are all on a journey as we walk this road of life. Dealing with others challenges and develops our character. It is easy to say that we love Jesus but it isn't easy to display that love to one another when we must patiently deal with the aggravation and frustration of one another's flaws. The reality is this: we are all prone to the depraved flesh that we live in. On any given day, each of us can succumb to our sinful nature. When we couple our fleshly tendencies with the lack of submission to the Holy Spirit, we become vulnerable to irritability, rudeness, and offensive conduct. Let each of us take inventory of our need to live under the discernment of the Holy Spirit. If each of us will treat others the way Jesus treats us, we will be patient with one another and thoughtful in our interactions with one another. I have observed many people over the years who seem to be oblivious of their own faults while being the first to criticize others faults. Jesus put it this way: “For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:2-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬ It is, therefore, imperative that we forgive one another. If we say we belong to Jesus, we must act like Jesus toward one another. “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬ People are going to try you. In fact, all you have to do to get irritated is look in the mirror and take an honest assessment of self. You have flaws. You, too, need others to treat you with the grace of Christ. I don't know about you, but I want to learn to forgive others the way Christ has forgiven me. This is the way to live.