a Scriptural Consideration entry

He sat alone on a stone wall just outside the city. The scabs on his back still ached from his latest flogging, but the deeper wounds were elsewhere—betrayal, slander, disappointment. Paul had poured himself out for these congregations, risked his life again and again, only to be questioned, misrepresented, even opposed by those he called brothers. Was this the reward for his sacrifice?

And yet… he would write to them again. He would visit again. He would call them “beloved.”

Paul’s life was not defined by the pain others caused him but by the forgiveness he continually chose to give. When Mark disappointed him, Paul didn’t wall off his heart forever. Years later, he would call Mark “useful to me for ministering.” (2 Tim. 4:11) When Peter acted out of fear, Paul corrected him, yes—but then continued serving shoulder to shoulder with him. Paul endured being misjudged, yet he wrote passionately about the unity of the body of Christ. (Rom. 12:4, 5)

“Continue . . . forgiving one another freely.”—Col. 3:13

So what about us? We, too, are surrounded by imperfect people—some impulsive, some fearful, some stubborn or critical. At times, the wounds from a brother’s words may seem deeper than those from the world. What will help us endure with peace and joy? The same thing that helped Paul: love. Love that remembers the good. Love that believes change is possible. Love that keeps reaching out, keeps serving, keeps forgiving.

In our congregations, this kind of love does not come naturally. It must be cultivated through prayer, humility, and meditating on Jehovah’s own patience with us. (Ps. 103:10-14) Jehovah sees it every time we choose to let go of a grievance, to respond gently, or to trust again. He sees—and he smiles.

Continue forgiving one another freely. The words are not a suggestion. They are a call to imitate the One who forgives most freely of all.

Jehovah will never stop forgiving you. Will you, then, stop forgiving your brother?

Let the peace of the Christ truly rule in your heart again.

w24.03 15 ¶4-5