Ephesians 4:25-32 (NRSV)
Read Ephesians 4:25-32 on biblegateway.com
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.
Devotion
“Sealed with the Holy Spirit of God for the day of redemption. Marked with the cross of Christ” (Eph. 1:13). How is this done? By water and the Word. As a token of our baptism, we might say that we spend the rest of our lives “walking wet.” We die with Christ nightly and are reborn every morning. As we walk wet, we are to be kind and compassionate, forgiving as we have been forgiven. As we walk wet, we leave footprints behind that others may follow even as we follow Christ. Water sustains life, but the living water that comes to us in our baptism is a gift by grace that sustains us for eternity.
Prayer
Father in Heaven, we thank you for the blessings of our baptism and ask that you prepare us, change us and use us in your kingdom. Amen.