The Place to Be #18

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 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. 29 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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Having painted this big picture of the church as both a building and a body, and calling on his listeners to maintain the integrity and health of the church, Paul now gets down to the nitty-gritty of how to do so. Nothing will destroy mutual trust more quickly or deeply than lying to one another.  Anger unresolved will create bitterness that eats away at the mortar and brings aching to the joints.  Dishonesty and selfishness will detract from the core value of generosity.  Uncontrolled speech is a sure sign that the Word of God is not well-settled into one's soul.  For the health of the body and its witness to a watching world, all evil intentions must be removed and replaced with heartfelt commitment, compassion, and communion.