Section 6
Lord is near; He is with us. When we live Him, taking Him as our pattern and counting all things loss in order to gain Him, we sense that He is present with us. He is near both in space and in time. In space, He is close to us, ready to help; in time, He is at hand, coming soon. Since the Lord is near, what need is there for us to be trou bled and stirred up?
When we live Christ, knowing that He is near, we should let others know our forbear ance, our moderation. Again I say, this is the first aspect of the expression of a life which lives Christ. Be assured that whenever you live Christ, you will show forth such a forbearance, such a moderate and tranquil attitude. But when you are striving in rivalry for vainglory or when you are murmuring or reasoning, you do not have this forbearance. This lack of forbearance proves that you are not living Christ. The first test of our living Christ is whether or not we express forbearance.
Paul had no intention to be like Confucius in teaching us to be patient and to bear difficulties. The factor which motivated him to write these verses was his desire to show the expression of a life that lives Christ. Thus, in Philippians 4:5-9 we see a picture of a life that lives Christ. If we