1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit-just as you were called to one hope when you were called-5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
It seems there is so much bickering going on these days. And guess what folks? It's not bickering among non-believers, it's bickering in the church. When I say church I don't mean the place where we go on Sunday, although it does happen there too. I mean this is happening among Christians, Godly men and women. So if you are tempted to get mad at someone for something they have said or something they have done, don't. Just don't! If you are tempted to say ugly things about them or talk about them behind their back, don't! Just don't! I knew this girl several years ago that never said anything, anything bad about anyone. I never saw her roll her eyes or talk about anyone bad. If someone began to shed negative light on a person, she would say, "Well Jesus loves him/her just as much as He loves you." That's what our response should be!
Ladies, I am done with all the Bible fluff! It doesn'matter how much we read or how much we study God's word unless it is truly changing our lives. So today, I am changing up the rules a little. Please don't post comments in the normal fashion. If you still want to do that, please post it on your blog. This chapter that we are reading today contains words that should bring correction to our lives. So in your comments, please type something that you feel you need to work on. Let's don't make it sound pretty ladies! Let's really say what it is that comes up in our lives over and over again. Do you talk about people? Do you gossip? Do you think bad things about people? Are you confrontational? Do you keep your word? Do you manipulate people? Do you close people out? Are you jealous? Are you prideful? Are you honest? Do you lie? What is it in your friendships, relationships that get you into trouble? (revision) I am talking about UGLY sin. Something that is hard to admit. Share something that is hard to say. You can always comment anonymous. If you don't wish you share, that's okay too but this is what I feel called to do for chapter four. I can't force you to share something. But I can share what God is showing me and in the mean time I think He can use me for it.
14-16No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
I think that the best way we can quit acting like infants is to share our struggles. If we share them, I believe that it will bring about the greatest change we have ever experienced. I see it everyday! Women wearing masks because they don't want you to really know what's on the inside. Well, this is a safe place to confess. I confess to all of you all the time. Sometimes, it is hard but when I do it, I always have a breakthrough, ALWAYS.
25What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26-27Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry-but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
28Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can't work.
29Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted.
31-32Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
The instructions are pretty simple. We know from God's Word how we are supposed to live. So I want to make sure that if all of my blogging friends from Arkansas to Canada spent the day with me that they would see me living a life of forgiveness. Would they see that I have made a clean break from the filthy things of this world? Would they see that words that come from my mouth are pure? I pray so.
What to do I need to confess? I talk about people that have hurt me or done something wrong to me. As I talk about them, I get mad all over again. I found myself doing this this past Friday night at dinner with a friend. The Holy Spirit clearly showed me what it was I was doing, GOSSIPING. Even when someone has done something to us out of spite, it is still wrong to talk about it with others. It does not give us permission to spew our thoughts about them! So Lord, please help me in this area. Please forgive me for gossiping.
(You do not have to be reading Ephesians with us to leave a comment. So feel free to share!)
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16 comments:
Remember today the comments are ONLY about what we struggle with. I am thinking a lot of people will not want to post but I hope you all do! We are all in this together!
"We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us"
I confess that I withold parts of myself from others - I don't respond to the prompting of the Spirit the way that I should.
In that, I guess I could be called selfish. In that, I am witholding blessings he intends for others.
I don't know why I would do that. Maybe it's just more comfortable to not live "out there", to hang myself out to be vulnerable with somebody else.
Lord, I pray that I do not grieve your Spirit - let your very breath and love flow through me.
Amanda: being that I am in a different time zone, I often have my thoughts typed and ready to go to comment once you have posted. God is leading me to do my study first thing in the morning, so I save my comments to the reading in MS Word and then add them to your post when I find you have posted. I understand what you are asking. Hopefully my thoughts conform to it. I am posting because this is what God layed on my heart to post comment for this Scripture. That being said; here goes:
1-21 Is a hefty charge given us to carry out. But when you break it down, it doesn’t seem like its’ that hard. It’s like, duh. This makes sense. This is the Godly way of living, and the more time you spend in God’s Word, the more you become like him, the more you will follow and do the things that are desirable in God’s sight and the less likely you will be to do the evil, worldly things. You won’t want to do them, and you will be less tempted when you daily follow Him. v.22-33 At times, I struggle with this still. I question my husband’s judgment and whether or not he has heard from the Lord when he makes some decisions. This is hard, because if it is not the right timing, and my attitude is not completely in check, I start World War III in my household and cause my husband to be very angry.
Something else I need to work on is the rush of my day. I hurry each and every day -- for what? To go to bed to get up and do the same the next day? It doesn't make sense. I am a stay-at-home mom of 3 kids under age 5. So yes, I am very busy. But the Lord is convicting me to slow down. I just don't know how yet.
I am jealous of what other women have. I get jealous of home decor, furniture, etc. I get so jealous that at times I have not liked the person.
Not fun to say, but something I want to be free of!
I get offended easily which leads me to confront way too often.
I yell.
Seeker, I think wives always struggle with trusting their husbands to make a wise choice. We long to control. The women control a lot in the home with their attitude and many of us including myself need to just keep my mouth shut and let God work.
I want what other's have. I covet. I struggle daily with being content with where I am, what I have and what I can and can't do. I get jealous when I see other women with things that I think are 'mine.'
I disrespect my husband with my frequent tone and eye rolling.
Sometimes I use sex (or lack of sex) as a weapon.
I am selfish on so many levels.
Sometimes I do/say things, even spiritual things, so that others will like me and think highly of me.
I am quick to anger.
Sometimes I look at men that are not my husband.
The Lord has shown me that confession is the first step to true freedom. I have come far in these areas, but I still have a ways to go.
Kelly Ann, thank you. Thank you for being naked with me! UGH!
We don't want anyone to see our cellulite or our stretch marks, do we? But that is who we are!
I am so blessed to have you in my life and I am so glad that the Lord has helped us build our relationship on truths. I thank you for always challenging me in my walk. I may not always like it, but I always need it.
I love GUTS!
I, too get offended easily and am always getting myself into confrontational situations that I try to talk myself out of...which only gets me in deeper, usually not just with the person it started, but I usually take down people with me.
I am quick to anger.
I yell at my kids and my husband.
I stuff down some of my feelings because I like the "rush" of adrenaline when it comes out after a bunch of things build up.
I worry obsessively and sometimes live for days in paranoia.
No matter what I'm doing, even if I'm walking, if I see a cop, I feel guilty, even though I've done nothing wrong.
I get depressed a lot and I allow Satan to put me down and I believe his lies even though I know I shouldn't and I know what to do to prevent this from happening.
Some more things God is telling me to post about:
I overanalyze everything.
I jump to conclusions.
I imagine the worst-case-scenario about every situation.
I think I will always know how people will respond to what I have to say and I allow my mind to build a story off of that.
This is good character building. It hurts, but it is good.
Seekr, thanks for being so honest. Thank you for trusting me to share your guts. When we share our struggles, we also learn how many of us struggle with the same exact things.
I too jump to conclusions and as you know doing this brings on a whole new batch of problems.
And I have gotten a whole lot better but worrying has been a HUGE struggle for me. Worry can also cause a whole bunch of other things too!
I appreciate you that much more now that I know YOU! Thank you for being real.
Pride! I struggle with pride.
It keeps me from apologizing when I am wrong.
Stubborn when I think my way is better than yours.
It makes me grumpy when you don't do things my way.
It causes disrespect towards my husband.
Judgement over others decisions.
It tells me I am great.
There are times I yell, over silly childish behavior.
I can be impatient with my kids.
When I have a fight or disagreement with my husband I am the one to slam the door and sulk. I will deliberatly go to bed not wanting to speak to him. Sometimes I get up when the Holy Spirit tells me to go say sorry...other times I roll over and sleep instead.
Thankfully, the Lord has curcumcized my heart. He is cutting away the flesh that kills and destroys and He is bring new life.
I am not the same person I was 10 years ago. I hope I am not the same person in another 10. Each day He is dealing with me and slowly there is victory.
Someone recently said to me "You can tell how someone's relationship with God is simply by asking them...What is God dealing with you on?" Because He is always dealing with us on SOMETHING!!! Once we break through in that area another layer will arise and need to be dealt with as well. That's how we get from being infants to grown up. Keep growing.
I am impatient.
I finish others sentences...assumin their point. (working on this)
I am impatient.
I am not the best cook or housekeeper. Because I want things done already. If it takes awhile I need to be inspired to do it.
I touch people's wounds when I'm angry.
I often make people cry because I'm so mean sometimes.
I'm a spoiled little rich girl. I get very depressed when I don't get something I want and can afford.
I lack love. People walk out of my life frequently and I don't care.
People are hurting and I don't help because I don't like them.
But the one thing I feel God wants me to work on RIGHT NOW is my anger. It's ugly in so many different levels.
But I pray God's grace will be revealed in me as people notice me changing.
amanda, just a ps: your blogging friends go all the way to canada and all the way to the far south - Brazil.
Wow! Ladies, I have always thought that my sins are between me and GOD. I am not required to tell anyone (human) my sins and hangups. Reading through today I have found that is not the case. I need to look at Paul. He got "naked" in his writing, so that we could relate. We are not perfect. We cannot ignore our weaknesses. We cannot hide them from each other or from those who do not believe in our GOD. It is important to live open so that we can glorify HIM.
Here goes.
I am very selfish. I have struggled for years with this. It causes so many issues in my life. It keeps me from loving unconditionally. My selfishness puts conditions on my accepted actions. I will not do someting if it goes aganst my self.
I am prideful. I get a big head when praised or complimented. I fake humility to look better than before.
I struggle with adultry. JESUS said that if a man even looks at a women with lust in his heart he has committed adultry with her. I have, for years, been a flirt. I dressed to get looks. I have had inappropriate conversations with men who were not my husband (flirting). I have a relationship with a man who I admire that has developed into the wrong admiration. I have had thoughts about him. It feels good. I go out of my way to spend time with him and encourage him. I call him for no reason. I put energy into this fake relationship. I give to this allusion things I sould be giving my husband. I am infatuated with the romantic idea of who he is. It is all based on lies. Satan has run a muck with this weakness.
I am insecure.
I lack boldness.
I am unbelieving.
I am harsh with my husband. (That is turning around with the HOLY SPIRIT'S help)
I whine and complain.
I wast time.
I am not very organized.
I play the myrter.
Here is the comment for ch. 4. I initially posted my comment for ch. 5 here (oops!) You don't have to read it, but it does coincide and make more sense than before :)
Ephesians 4:8 quotes Psalm 68:18. It is interesting that in the next two verses, Paul chooses to dissect/explain what Ps. 68:18 means. 4:26 In your anger, do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,27and do not let the devil get a foothold. I have always heard and quoted the last part of this verse, but now the first part is standing out to me. Like when my husband upsets me and I choose to stay angry, instead of giving my anger to the Lord like I should. Then I am really the one who is letting the sun go down on my anger. Before reading this today, I have always thought that it was my husband’s responsibility to make things right with me before bed, but now I am realizing that I need to take it before God and not worry if the conflict has been resolved; God will deal with my husband on his own without me “beating” him with it. Ladies, I really see and feel the scales being lifted from my eyes! This stuff is amazing!
Verses 29 through 32 are underlined in my Bible. Awesome nuggets of truth that are very hard to live by.
I gossip, especially at work, about the people who do me wrong.
I'm selfish. I'm happy when I get my way. Like my husband says, if I'm not happy I don't want anyone around me to be happy either. I think this has changed though. I just try to keep my mouth shut.
Sometimes prideful, I sometimes think I'm better than someone else because of my education, job, and where I live. I know I'm not. I know I'm nothing without Christ, but the thoughts still creep into my mind.
I yell at my kids when I'm fustrated, and have been reminded by my 3 year old not to yell. Ouch that hurts.
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