25 So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth because we all belong to each other in the same body.[a] 26 When you are angry, do not sin. And do not go on being angry all day. 27 Do not give the devil a way to defeat you. 28 If a person is stealing, he must stop stealing and start working. He must use his hands for doing something good. Then he will have something to share with those who are poor.
29 When you talk, do not say harmful things. But say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will help those who listen to you. 30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God’s proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the time comes. 31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
Ephesians 4:25-32 International Children’s Bible
Yes, I am back! Still not doing much wandering, that will have to change but that is another blogg for another time!! The above passage was a devotion from the other day. As I read it I thought of my own reactions to things that happen in my day and week, well OK life!! I thought about how we tell each other the truth as we see it (aka lie to one another). How we let anger eat us up by which we give the devil, Satan, a foothold with which he can defeat us. How we steal, not from each other as much as as we steal from the poor by not giving to them as we see a need. How when we talk we tend to say harmful things more than we say things that will make other stronger. I thought about how we are bitter or angry or mad and how we shout and say things that hurt people, sometimes with intent and other times when it just happen but would not have if we would have just thought or just kept our mouths shut. These last few are hard to miss in the passage!! I also thought about how this makes the Holy Spirit, and God, sad. The above is not just in the world but it is as much, if not more, within the Body of Christ!
There are two other things I noticed and they are at the end of the passage; things which we do but do less that the other things this old man has seen within us as Christians. The first we need to do anytime we are thinking about doing that which we do so well that I have spoken of above. Instead of all the evil we do so easily we need to: "Be kind and loving to each other". We need to think before we act. We need to engage our spiritual life and be kind and loving; showing grace to those we interact with in the church building and those we interact with outside the church building. Yes, I know! MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE!! Then again the passage also says "Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ! If I remember that would be anytime and every time!! In the Lord's Prayer we ask God to forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. By which would you like to be forgiven by God. As God forgave you or how you forgive others? If you forgive like God does then you are in the clear; aren't you!?!
