EPHESIANS 4:32

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you...

God is kind and tenderhearted to us, and forgave us of all our sins, even though we don't deserve to be...So we quite frankly are expected to do the same towards other people, rather they deserve it or not. If our attitudes towards other people are based on what they deserve, then we have missed the point. If we want to exemplify God's character, then we in turn have to be loving, tender and forgiving. That is no doubt the kind of attitude that God expects from those who are His "new" creations in Christ.

I believe the Lord lead me to this verse tonight because I for one struggle soo much with this, this day being no different than many. It is sooo hard for me to love people and treat them with respect and tenderheartedness when they are rude and awful to me. I OFTEN lash out in a quick and angry response when this happens because I feel it is JUSTIFIED by their behavior. But this verse CLEARLY states that it is not OK. It is not a good representation of Him, and that however much they DON'T deserve it, I must still forgive them....How grateful I really am that God forgives me of this every time, though I for one know, how much I don't deserve it. I pray that God is able to control that which I freely admit I cannot...