An All-Inclusive Christian Virtue

In this week’s Sunday Fellowship with Irvine Christian Students, we expounded on a life of forbearance without anxiety. During the current times, we are in need of God’s forbearance, but what is forbearance? Forbearance is a virtue that allows us to be satisfied with less than our due. This is an all-inclusive Christian virtue – a virtue that is not a human attribute, but a spiritual one. This virtue comes from Christ, who is the forbearing One. With that in mind, the only way for us to have forbearance is to have Christ. Let’s delve into this a bit further.

Philippians 4:12-13 says,

“I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me.”

In these times of self-quarantine, we can encounter many draining situations: from the long hours in close quarters with our families to transitioning to online classes. This can make it hard to be forbearing and may even cause a great deal of anxiety. However, we must remember that the secret for living a life of forbearance without anxiety is in Christ! The way that we can be empowered to live a life of forbearance is to be in Him, to live a life that is in Christ, but how can we work this out practically?

Philippians 4:5 says,

“Let your forbearance be known to all men. The Lord is near.”

From this verse, we can see that the Lord is near. The Lord’s presence is near. He is not only in the heavens, but He is the Spirit in our spirit. He is in us. However, although He is in us, we need to come forward to Him. This can be done by making motion to God throughout the day. When we realize that we are anxious and are unable to endure, that is the perfect time to come forward and draw near to Him. Making motion to the Lord can come in numerous forms. We can call on His name, telling Him “Lord, I need You. Oh Lord, I love You.” We can sing, enjoy His Word, and pray. There are so many ways to draw near to Him. The Lord is the one that arranges all things, all the situations, to help us draw near. May we not miss this opportunity to experience His presence.

-MR, Senior, Pharmaceutical Science