“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14 NIV
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica to encourage them. In this verse that was taken from a passage titled Final Instructions, Paul, through his modeling, is encouraging not only the leaders but also the members of the church to be aware of what is going on around them. There are members of that church and the church of today that struggle with changing their behaviors from the old to the new. Some people have a challenge with changing one behavior more than another.
Paul tells them to be mindful of where each person is at but to be directive but also encouraging and patient with everyone. When Paul includes everyone in this verse, that means everyone, even those who you deem to be your enemies. In regards to those who persecute you, who are your enemies, it is completely natural to want to meet anger with anger. However, if we meet anger with anger, we are not demonstrating the love of Jesus, we are conforming to the the way of the world.
Everyone is human, everyone is struggling with something because no one is perfect. Our response to others will either bring them into a place of wanting to have a relationship with Jesus or it will drive them away. Remembering that our responsibility as followers of Christ is to bring others to Christ helps in those moments when our flesh is screaming at us to take revenge, telling us to not be talked to that way or imploring us to take what we feel we deserve.
Remaining helpful to others and patient with everyone can be done, but only when we rely on Jesus for His strength.