Verse of the Day 9/30

Through the Bible - Isaiah 21-23, Ephesians 5

 

Good morning,

For the last few days we've been going through the book of Ephesians while considering portions of the Lord's prayer.  Yesterday we considered "our daily bread".

 

We need to eat the right food.  Continual intake of "fast food" wont nurish us properly.  The same is true spiritually, we need the nourishment of God's Word, we wont grow as we should if all that we take in is Christian TV, read Christian magazines, and listen to Christian music.  The food that nourishes our soul is reading the Bible.

 

Reading through a book like Ephesians or just about any other book of the Bible while considering the Lord's Prayer reveals the importance of prayer, this prayer in particular, and how it is reinforced by what we read in the pages of scripture.

In concluding the Lord's prayer in Matthew 6 we read:

Matt 6:12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

Matt 6:14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.   NIV

Today's verses from Ephesians 4 expound this thought:

 

Eph 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.  NLT

 

Praying for forgiveness should make us mindful that we are to forgive others.

 

As we look at our society today there is little forgiveness; instead there is the desire to get revenge, for retribution, for putting others down so that you may be elevated.  This is not the biblical way to live, all it will lead to is pain.

Have you ever had a toothache?  It's hard to be happy, when the pain is constant, and you can't find relief.  Seeking revenge can have the same effect on us.  It can literally eat us up, take away our joy.  It needs to be removed like a bad tooth.

 

Helmut Thielicke writes, "The painful abscesses which today are breaking out over the whole body of mankind cannot be cured by physicking and lancing them from the outside, but only by the cleansing blood from the inside and renewing the heart; the animating and regulating center of the body.  To this heart and center of the world Jesus directs our attention when he teaches us to pray: "forgive us our debts".  Thielicke says that forgiveness means "This shall not separate us.  The bond of love is stronger than the separating power that would come between."

Have bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander crept into your relationships?  They bring with them "separating power" that lead to broken relationships and the divorce that we see so often around us.  The Lord's Prayer and this passage in Ephesians 4 teach us that instead we should be "kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving".

 

Are you struggling in a relationship?  Why not try putting these words and principals into practice.  Let it also be a reminder that you need "your daily bread", that is, time in His Word and time in prayer.

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
: http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Eph 4:25-5:1

 

Do Not Grieve the Spirit

 

25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.    NKJV