Ephesians 4:25-5:2 (NRSV)
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Verse 25So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Verse 26Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, Verse 27and do not make room for the devil. Verse 28Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Verse 29Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. Verse 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Verse 31Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, Verse 32and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Chapter 5Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, Verse 2and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Devotion
My spouse and I have an old house with a big attic full of stuff – furniture that no longer finds a place in our present house, clothes that no longer fit and past necessities no longer needed. Someday, we keep saying, we must let go of this stuff so we can reclaim the attic and no longer find ourselves owned by these tarnished treasures. We must simplify!
Paul admonishes the brethren in Ephesus to simplify – to “put away” that stuff in their lives that represents the times before they had experienced God’s love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. To keep grudges, act with malice, gossip and steal threatens our very relationship with God’s spirit and is not in keeping with ones called to model their lives after Jesus.
Prayer
Dear God, my life is filled with all kinds of stuff that often gets in the way with my imitating of you. This day, help me to cut through all that would keep me from your love and grace. May all I do this day be acceptable in your sight. Amen.