Ephesians 4:17-5:2
17 Now
this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding,
alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to
their hardness of heart. 19 They
have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to
practice every kind of impurity. 20 But
that is not the way you learned Christ!— 21 assuming
that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 to put off your
old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through
deceitful desires, 23 and
to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and
to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness
and holiness.
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.
5 Therefore
be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And
walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God.
St Paul does a great job of encouraging us. He reminds us
that we will all become callous. Eventually, people will become insensitive
even to our own sins. It is easy for us to over look the hardness of our
hearts. But St Paul encourages us to always be mindful of our sinful nature.
Someone once told me the greatest trick the Devil ever
played was making people think he did not exist. Our sinful nature can play
this same trick on us from time to time. We will often hear people say, “That
is just a part of being human.” It is the sinful nature or desires rearing
their ugly head.
St Paul urges us to walk in Love. We need to walk in Love
with one another. We need to care for one another. This means pointing out the
truth at all times, not just when it is easy. All Christians need to stand up
and act like God desires us to act.
But walking in Love also means walking as Christ walked. He
walked with his eyes pointing to the cross. He walked with a mind set on laying
down his life for you. Christ loved you and gave himself up for you. God loves
you so much that he forgives your shortcomings. He loves you that he draws you
out of darkness into the light. He points out your sins, and points you to
salvation. Walk in Love, and walk as one who is redeemed and loved by God.
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