Ephesians 4: 25 – 27 NLT
“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.”
Now we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty. “Stop telling lies”. In his commentary, Living Insights: Ephesians, Charles Swindoll tells us the Greek word for lies includes “all forms of lying from out-and-out contradictions of known facts to carefully couched nuances intended to deceive and mislead. It includes everything from white lies to unbelievable whoppers.” (p. 255)
Paul goes on to say why we should tell the truth – “we are all parts of the same body”. We need to develop trust within the body of Christ. Our society these days is full of lies. Advertisements love to promote their products with all sorts of exaggeration. That’s why we need consumer groups to check out the products. Can we believe everything the media tells us? Just watch different media sources for the news and you get different interpretations. Now we have AI, and people are worried because it can create things that are definite lies but look real.
Telling the truth is important. Being honest at church, with our family, and with the people at work and our neighbours. Knowing we are honest, helps them understand what God says is the truth. In the earlier parts of Ephesians 4, we also been told to be loving. So honesty doesn’t mean brutal statements that hurt someone. We should just be known for living as openly and truthfully as possible.
Then there is the anger thing. “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry”. When you discover that someone or something has really let you down, it’s so natural to be angry and let that anger simmer.
Sometimes we see situations that make us angry. We think something is unfair, or is so sloppy it needs to be fixed. It might happen at work. Or it might be a situation in your community. Instead of letting that angry boil underneath, God may be leading you to help fix it. Stop being angry and figure out how to help.
One area where we tend to let anger simmer is at home. I remember when my children were young and my husband was super busy with work. I’d wish he was home more when the kids were up instead of coming home late, but I also supported what he was doing. After a while I’d realize that our relationship was drifting with some anger simmering underneath. We’d have a difficult conversation that neither one of us wanted to intiate, but the feelings would be aired and a solution figured out. It helped us build a solid marriage. My daughter, Andrea, leads the Divorce Care group at our church. She knows what seething anger did to her marriage, and sees what it has done to others.
“Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Satan loves it when he sees you angry and letting that anger boil in your mind and heart. It’s something he can use to take you away from a good relationship with God. It’s soemthing he can use to disrupt your life and ruin your effectiveness in serving God.
I don’t know if either of those problems affect you very much. You may have learned your lessons already. But if reading this devotion gives you a bit of unease, take the time to pray and ask God to give you that loving heart he so wants you to have.
Our song for today is Give Me Peace by Gateway Worship.