11-15-22 Today in the Word

Speak Truth to One Another Tuesday, November 15 | Ephesians 4:17–28 Is it okay to lie to your spouse? Your boss? Your friends? College students self-reported telling, on average, two lies a day. They estimated one lie in every three social interactions. And those “occasional” lies add up! It is estimated that by the time a person reaches age 50, they have told approximately 43,800 lies. While lying may be common, lies can harm and even destroy relationships. The apostle Paul urged the Ephesians that they were not to live like everyone else, “in the futility of their thinking” (v. 17). We are not to act like people who are “separated from the life of God” (v. 18). Paul said that at the heart of Christian unity is trust. Therefore, he encouraged the Ephesians to stop lying to one another and, instead, to speak the truth (v. 25). When lying happens between believers and within the body of Christ, trust is broken. When trust is broken, division will result. Sometimes, during this division, angers arise and tempers flare (v. 26). Ungodly things are said, and splits occur. In verse 26, Paul is not saying that people should stay up into wee hours of the night to reconcile their differences and get to the truth, but rather, each person must come to an agreement that the truth needs to come forth as soon as possible but anger that leads to sin is unacceptable. Paul knew that any division amongst the body would give the devil a chance to emit chaos (v. 27). Former Moody Bible Institute President, Joseph Stowell, would often warn students, “If you give the enemy an inch, he’ll take a mile.” Paul reminds believers to speak the truth, stop stealing, and do something useful for those in need (v. 28). >> Your words matter, both to God and to others. Do you recall a recent conversation when the truth was not spoken in love? What could you have done differently? Aim for honesty and humility in your conversations today. Pray with Us Dear God, in our anger remind us of who You are and who You call us to be. You see clearly. Show us what lies at the heart of our conflicts; show us the right steps to take to restore harmony.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

9-17-23 Not in a Billion Years

Not In A Million Billion Years :: By Dave Hubley Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles (There is a special message at the end of this article for those who might happen to read this and do not have Jesus in their life and are looking for peace and a way to better understand the present-day insanity and confusion.) Several years ago, I had a conversation with a guy in a waiting room while getting an oil change (in the car, not me). I don’t recall exactly how the conversation originated or how it progressed, but I have never forgotten it. As I recall, it had something to do with evolution and an article that was contained in a “waiting room magazine” that was available there. He made the observation that God was “something that man had made up.” I can’t recall the exact reason he used to justify his opinion, but it had something to do with the usual reasons people give: Weak-willed people needing a crutch, and blah, blah, blah. I engaged him in a “witness,
Read more

9-16-23 Santa Staleness

Santa Staleness :: By Edwin Tan Published on: December 24, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles My one and only trip to Israel had more than a profound effect on my present-day psyche. It might have been three decades ago, but there is more than a lingering aftertaste. It happened smack in the last fortnight of the year. Surprisingly absent were the familiar sights and sounds of the Christmas most people are accustomed to. Hardly any Christmas decorations in downtown Tel Aviv, if not any of the shopping thoroughfares across the Holy Land. Hanukah was a breath of fresh air – not anything resembling a Christmas carol most people grew up with did surface. The Christmas Eve service in a small Protestant church not far away from Jerusalem’s Old City was awesome; songs that truly celebrated the virgin birth of our Lord, which though seemingly unheard of, were a welcome inspiration to many a soul. There was even one sung in Arabic! So it began, my overt disdain for the secular Christmas t
Read more

9-15-23 Miracles 2

Miracles 2 :: By Jim Towers Published on: December 21, 2022 by RR10 Category:General Articles This story is a continuation of the exciting things God continues doing in my life. I was supposed to have died a while back, and sometimes I feel as though I may do so soon. But since I’m ready to meet my maker, I have no fear of death. In fact, my evangelistic zeal has only increased, especially as I see the fast approaching of the “Tribulation period” mentioned in the book of Revelation. Insofar as my acting career is concerned, I just finished filming a soliloquy featuring Melchior, one of the three Magi who followed the star to Christ lying in the manger, and am preparing to portray a Jewish Priest on stage. Like I said, God is working overtime in my life, and I will be appearing on stage singing Broadway show tunes sometime in March, so I have a lot of rehearsing to do. In the meantime, I will be signing Christmas carols acapella at a park here in Naples. Since it is a spontaneous th
Read more