Paul says in Colossians 3:14 says, “Wrap yourself in (unselfish) love, which is the perfect bond of unity (for everything is bound together in agreement when one seeks the best for others.) “The Greek word for bond means “That which fastens together separate items into unity.” When we practice sacrificial love for others, we become one in Spirit and there is harmony and oneness. That does not always come easy for we seem naturally quick to want our own way and to be more concerned with ourselves than others. We might conclude that if we didn’t have to relate to others how happy we would be, but we in a sense are our own worst enemy. Anthony, a 20-year-old monk, was confronted by Jesus’ words to “Go sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.” (Mark 10:21) He was so taken by those words that he sold his inheritance and went to the desert and was alone with God. But there he had to deal with himself, the forces of evil and his shadow side; but as he humbled himself and got victory over his own demons and became a changed man. Many others were healed through him and changed by his humble example.
Wouldn’t we all like to know that other lives were changed because of our witness, and selflessness. We need to come to know ourselves and our own hidden sins and passions so we can know our need for the Lord. The closer we come to the Lord, the humbler we become for we see our own hearts. Let us not be mulling over the faults and sins of others, but humbly see ourselves and our sins and shortcomings, acknowledging our need for His grace. Then the fruit of the Spirit will grow in us, and we will have no cause to point it out to others.
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