"In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:26-27; 29-32
One of my favorite television shows that I enjoy watching (until just recently) is AMERICAN CHOPPER. Unfortunately, the new series had been titled "AMERICAN CHOPPER - SR vs JR." This program is a reality show, which features two companies in Orange County, New York building amazing custom motorcycles. These people are so talented, that each custom-built chopper looks like a piece of art.
When the series first began, it featured a father, Paul Sr., and his son, Paul Jr. working together as a team building these unbelievable custom chopper motorcycles. Each motorcycle they built totally pushed the envelope every time. As the company grew, and the pressure mounted SR and JR began to argue and fight, and with each argument and fight, they continued to grow farther and farther apart. Until one horrible day, they had a blow out which made everyone watching cringe. The things that were said were totally hurtful and painful, it ended with SR terminating JR, and JR stormed out throwing chairs, kicking in the doors, and knocking over anything and everything in front of him. In addition, SR kicked his office door so hard that it broke the door off right thru the door jam. After all that was said, SR and JR have not reached out to apologize to one another. Everything that was said was left, festering inside their broken and shattered hearts, to the point of poisoning not only their relationship, but also everyone else that is involved as well. Granted, working closely with a loved one is difficult, and yes it can cause arguments and disagreements, but no matter what, every effort must be made to resolve any and all conflicts, so the relationships will not be destroyed, like SR and JR's.
As we read today's passage of scripture, we find a recipe that, if followed, will prevent us from having relationships that mirrors SR and JR's. Once again, as we read this passage, we find the wisdom in the words that the Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle Paul to write. Notice how he explains, to us, that we are not to allow our anger to cause us to sin. Then he tells us not to let the sun go down while we are still angry - why? Cause it will give the devil a foothold in our lives. As, we "stew" in our anger, frustration, and hurt, it causes us to lose focus on the most important thing - loving and forgiving like Jesus. Instead, we allow these emotions to build walls and separation from the people we care about most. The passage goes on to explain to us exactly what we need to do when we are "communicating" with those that are in our lives. The first thing we notice, is that we are told that our words from our mouths, should be "HELPFUL FOR BUILDING OTHERS UP ACCORDING TO THEIR NEEDS," and our words should, "BENEFIT THOSE WHO LISTEN." Wow! What great instructions in the proper and beneficial way of communicating with those within our lives. The most important benefit is that we will not "grieve the Holy Spirit."
Next Paul instructs us to, "GET RID OF ALL BITTERNESS, RAGE AND ANGER, BRAWLING AND SLANDER, ALONG WITH EVERY FORM OF MALICE." You have to admit, this is quite a checklist of some "major baggage" that a lot of us carry around on a regular basis. These emotions will ALWAYS surface in the heat of an argument and it will cause major strife and separation in relationships. This was the hidden cause of the battle and division between Paul Sr. and Paul Jr.
So, if we go thru our personal life, and we make sure that we are not carrying about any of these "bags", so that we will not experience the heartache and the pain caused by these unresolved issues. Then finally, Paul gives his final instructions to us, and like always - he saves the best for last. So, what are his instructions? Simply put... "BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER, FORGIVING EACH OTHER, JUST AS IN CHRIST GOD FORGAVE YOU." If we truly, I mean really truly believed this, and not only believed it, BUT ALSO, allowed this powerful instruction control our speech and interaction with those in our lives - we would live a life full of peace, love, and joy! How amazing that would be. We would live in a world that would bring honor and glory to God. Because, these actions would be living our lives totally and completely Christ like! This of course, is our life goal - to become more like Christ each and everyday!
Just think, if Paul Sr. and Paul Jr. would have followed the instructions given to us by the Apostle Paul, via the Holy Spirit, they would still be together not only building bikes together, but also their family would be together as well.
Have a blessed day in the Lord!
Brother Rick
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