Paul the
apostle told the Ephesian church members not to “grieve the Holy
Spirit, whereby” they “are sealed unto the day of
redemption”. In chapter four and verse thirty-one of his
letter, Paul addressed several practical behaviors among the
Ephesians including “bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil
speaking”. We read:
and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
The
verse begins, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
and clamor,...” Paul began
with the words, “Let all bitterness”
which means “raise up, elevate, lift up, bear and carry off or away
each, every, any, the whole and every bitter gall, extreme wickedness
and hatred”, “and wrath”
or “passion, heat, anger forthwith boiling up and soon subsiding,
glow, ardor and inflaming wine” “and anger”
which means “the natural disposition of temper, movement or
agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, violent emotion and
indignation” “and clamor”
or “crying, outcry, tumult and grief”. The Ephesians were not to
be “bitter, wrath-filled and tumultuous” people.
The
verse continues, “...and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:” Paul
added, “and evil speaking”
which is the Greek word “blasphēmia”
and means “slander, detraction, injurious, impious and reproachful
speech to divine majesty”, “be put
away” or
“raised up, elevated, lifted up, bore and carried off or away”
“from you”
which refers to the Ephesian church members, “with
all malice”
which means “each, every, any, the whole and everyone with
maliciousness, evil, wickedness and naughtiness”. The Ephesians
were to remove themselves from “all”
“reproachful, slanderous and injurious speech” against one
another.
When
we think through these words of Paul, we understand there were
reasons for him to give these directives. People tend to become
“bitter”. They may be prone to “wrath, anger”
and “outcrying grief”, and they often speak in an “evil”
way against one another to “injure” one another especially if
they feel wronged. Paul's exhortation was to “put” these
“away”. This makes the Christian different than the world,
and one who does so becomes like Jesus Christ. He is our example, and
if anyone had occasion in which to have these characteristics within
His life, Jesus did. May the Holy Spirit help us to “put away”
all of these behaviors and exhibit the grace of Christ.
Next
time Paul instructs the Ephesian church members about being “kind
one to” and “forgiving
one another”, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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