The Christian's Worthy Walk: Personal Reformation, Part 2

God calls each of us to personal reformation. We are to know the truth and submit our lives to it, holding back nothing for ourselves. But while sound teaching is essential to Christian growth, God also uses the truth lived out in the church to shape and transform us. Mature and godly saints provide wonderful examples to emulate, faithful brothers and sisters in the Lord hold us accountable to walk in the Spirit, and relationships expose our sins and weaknesses so that we may repent, learn, and grow. As we live life in the local body, God works to form in us four essential characteristics of holiness. He teaches us humility, which we learn as we compare ourselves with the perfections of God rather than the failings of men. He teaches us gentleness, which is not timidity but rather power under control, being slow to anger and yet firm and unyielding in the truth. He teaches us patience, which always looks for the faithful way through rather than the easy way out. Finally, He teaches us forbearing love. It is the love modeled perfectly by our Master: a love that is self-sacrificing, a love that endures, and a love that cannot be extinguished.