Thursday, July 16, 2015

Treating Everyone right...

Ephesians 4:25-32 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 
Paul covers all the bases here: how to treat fellow believers, the Holy Spirit, and the Enemy.  First, fellow believers are not the Enemy!  They are our hands, feet, eyes, hearts and intestines: we need them all.  We need to love them enough to tell them the truth, not steal from them, or use them as a lashing pole for our tongues.  The Holy Spirit is our Advocate - always taking our side - why would we want Him to feel like an outsider?   The Enemy is the one who should feel like an outsider - He does not belong in our lives or in the Body; he is an unwelcome, uninvited guest.  Let us treat each one as they should be treated!

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