Paul reminds us that we can ALWAYS be humble and gentle! Today humility and gentle spirits are so identified with weakness that we fail to see the value in these characteristics. We don't get rewarded for them and we probably seldom get complimented for these qualities. But that doesn't change the reality we are called to live humble and gentle lives in the context of our calling of God. The "always" doesn't leave us too many exceptions for harsh or prideful behavior.
Paul then goes on to call us to be patient with each other and to overlook other people's faults because of our love. When we truly love others we can overlook their faults. When we truly understand that God loves us even in our faults we can find the patience to deal with other people. When I think about the long journey with God and His incredible patience with me through the years: it helps me to have more patience for others. Am I or will we ever be perfect in loving others and being patient with others? No -most likely this is a lifetime journey of growth toward the completed goal.
So Paul reminds us that we need to make every effort to keep ourselves unified with the Spirit of God. The only way for us to be humble, gentle, patient and forgiving is to work hard at staying unified with the Holy Spirit of God. It is not about making a New Year's Resolution to be humble, gentle, patient and forgiving because then we believe we can do it in our own strength! We must spend our effort on staying connected to the powerful Spirit of God and He will help us increase in living in peace with each other.
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