Staff Devo- Ephesians 4:32

Scripture

Ephesians 4:31–32 NASB 95

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, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Today, we are going to focus more on the positive commands in verse 32 but I wanted to mention the negatives quickly as we get started because our world is full of bitterness, wrather, anger, clamor and slander, and malice,

We don’t need more of it, its on every news station, on every social media outlet, our world is full of it.

It should not be in the house of God,

We the church should be the antithesis to the world.

See Jesus said that people will know that we are his disciples by the love we have for one another

So put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander and malice and lets love one another by putting on kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness.

So lets look through this and encourage one another to obedience.

First, Be Kind,

Be Kind

What does it mean to be Kind?

The word used for kindness here means to be benevolent or easy to carry.

It gives the picture that your nature, your presence eases those around you and you are one who makes things smooth. Just your presence makes the moment easy to carry.

A biblical definition of kindness that I found is this

Biblical kindness encompasses both an attitude and a pattern of behavior rooted in faithful obligation and compassionate action. The concept embraces love, mercy, patience, and the withholding of anger- all in one word, reflecting God’s own character toward humanity.

Embracing love, mercy, patient and withholding of anger all in one word.

Wow.

It is truly putting God’s own kindness to us back on display for all to see.

It can be simple gestures like smiling at people,

making eye contact,

asking about there day and actually caring about their answer,

offering help in time of need,

responding to hostility with gentleness instead of anger and retalition

It can be being an encourager like Barnabus

But whatever way we show it

When we show kindness to those around us, especially those of us we work with we display the kindness that God has shown us and the gospel of Christ.

So how are you displaying kindness toward others? How are you displaying it at work? How are you displaying it at home?

BUt this also says to be tenderhearted.

Tenderhearted

This means to be compassionate

This means cultivating emotional responsiveness to others’ suffering and responding with compassionate action.

When we have been shown compassion it should cause us to show it back.

We are called in scripture to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

This means that to be tenderhearted we must be intimate with peoples lives the good and the bad and show love and care to them in those moments.

Even when they are difficult and we would rather run away.

We are called to bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ.

THis is tangibly, figuring out how to serve those who are struggling.

This can mean lovingly rebuking someone in sin,

Making a meal and praying with someone who has lost a loved one.

This means in our marriages speaking gentle during disagreements, showing patience with weaknesses.

At work this means serving instead of being served

Listening instead of dismissing

Seeking to fix the problem not the person

Comforting those in difficult times instead of ignoring

and it ultimately means forgiving instead of retailiating

Which brings us to our final section

Forgiving One Another as God in Christ Forgave You.

God in Christ has forgiven me, I don’t know about you but he has forgiven me a mountain of debt.

I don’t even understand this side of heaven how much I have been forgiven. There is sin in my life that I don’t even realize and yet,

God, while I was still his enemy, sent Christ to die on the cross for my sins and as it says in

Colossians 2:14 NASB 95

14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

My God crushed his son to forgive me.

How much more should I forgive others?

When others wrong me or others persecute or just flat out annoy me.

Do I have any right to harbour a grudge against them? To Talk bad about them behind their back?

Or Do I owe them forgiveness.

Thats a retorical question.

God forgave fully, therefore I am called to forgive fully.

I don’t get to pick and choose what I forgive, I forgive those who tresspass against us, not some but all

God forgave freely, therefore I must forgive freely,

I can’t put stipulations on people that they must meet before I forgive or make them jump through some impossible hoop to somehow earn my forgiveness.

I am called to freely forgive my brother and sister.

God has not just given us mercy, or forgiveness, he has given us grace,

He has given us, sinners deserving of eternal death, eternal punishment,

Eternal Good, how can I turn around and hold out on forgiveness?

And some of you may be going, yeah Casey, but you don’t know what this or that person has done to me or how much I have forgiven them

And you are right, but remember Peter

Peter tried to set a limit on his forgiveness and Jesus told him, not 7 times but 70 times 7 not meaning 490 times but infinite forgiveness.

Jesus knew, bitterness, and contentions and unforgiveness would stalemate and even destroy a church.

See, Proverbs 18:19

Proverbs 18:19 NASB 95

19 A brother(or sister) offended is harder to be won than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

Whether at be here or at home, when we are offended and refusing forgiveness, we are harder to be won than a strong city and our contentions like the bars of a citadel.

meaning we can’t do anything to move it or move on.

We are locked down.

BUTTTT

When we choose not to be offended and instead offer our offender forgiveness that strong cities walls are torn down and that citadel is destroyed and we can have victory.

And if you are the one who has done the offending,

Then you yourself need to go seek forgiveness to tear down the contention

Lets purpose this week and beyond to be kind to one another, tenderhearted, because then we won’t need to be forgiven.

And when we are offended, and someone wrongs us, then we should be eager to forgive, not hold a grudge.

This shows the love of Christ to others around us and brings Glory to our heavenly father.