“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” – Eph. 4:31-32
Look at that list – “bitterness.. wrath.. anger.. clamor.. evil speaking.. malice”, and try to imagine how much better the world would be without them. Think of all the harm caused by these things. Consider how they affect you personally, your relationships, family, church, business, and even the government. It’s easy to see that life would be much different and better without these things They are a curse!
Now notice the command, which is two-fold. First he tells us to “put away” those things. Second he tells us to be “kind.. tenderhearted.. forgiving”. As simple and serious as these commandments are, we all know they aren’t easy. In fact, sometimes it seems impossible for us to live up to such a high standard. Yet God refuses to lower the bar and lessen the demands. And to do the will of God we must obey.
Next we see the cause for doing so – “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” ( vs. 32). If we are to turn vices into virtues we must do as we are commanded. It is imperative. But how? The power needed to practice this precept is found in our appreciation of what Christ has done for us. To think of Christ forgiving us should motivate us to forgive anyone of anything. Knowing our Father in heaven has forgiven us, accepted us, and blessed us, how dare we not forgive others. We are never more like Jesus than when we forgive others. Doing so not only releases the other person, it relieves you of your guilt for not having done so. It also removes you from the bondage of the past. The only way to get past the past, have peace for the present, and protect your prospects is to turn these vices into virtues. If you really want the world to be a better place, let the change begin with you! – HDS
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
