Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near
– Philippians 4:5 (NASB)
Our forbearance should be known not just to our close companions but to all men. All who are acquainted with us should know this about us. Who can exercise such gentleness and forbearance? Only those who realize “the Lord is near.”
Some may ask, “Is the Lord near in terms of distance or time?” It is true in both senses. He is with us in our spirit,
and He is also coming to be with us. These facts are the secret to our practice of the church life by way of forbearance.
When things become impossible, there is a strength within that enables us to remain joyful even as others seem to take advantage of us. In this process, we experience and learn that the Lord is near. If we only live for ourselves, He will seem remote to us. However, if we live for the church and for others, we will sense the Lord is near, that He is with us, and that He is coming soon.
Excerpted from Philippians: That I May Gain Christ by Titus Chu, p. 264
