Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
We were just told in an earlier passage not to grieve the Holy Spirit by our anger and the resulting actions. Today’s passage tells us how to be. In the church I grew up in there was a song that had a lyric, “you will know they are christians by their love.” Our instructions are to love. This is easier said than done.
Galatians 5:15-18 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” To walk by the Spirit we must first have the Holy Spirit within us. We do this by accepting Christ and His forgiveness. Next we read the bible and live our lives and yield to the Spirit.
As we go through our day He will whisper things to us constantly. The last verse in the Galatian passage says that “if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” This is true. The Holy Spirit will guide us. With Him as our life coach, we don’t need the Law. It takes a while to get used to this new guidance. Part of it is yielding our independence. We sacrifice the self destructive part of us. The part that wants to hold onto fear and anger.
Culture might say one thing and our old nature might say another, but we are to go with the bible. Not only will God prompt us in the right direction, but He will empower us. It’s not like a drug inwhich all of our envy and anger are gone, but as we step in the right direction, He will give us His love. The dark feelings will always be there. To a lesser degree, but enough that they will still draw us. We will occasionally get tangled up in them.
A couple verses later in Galatians (5:22-24), it says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” As we yield to the Spirit, He fills us with the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace,… This is so much better than being eaten up by the cancer of anger. Yes, we deserve to be treated better, but we may never get that from some. If the relationship won’t heal, put some distance between it. Don’t yield to abuse. But don’t go the anger route.
Anger is what grieves the Spirit, but yielding to Him and giving love an opportunity gives Him a chance to work. We are inviting Him in. This gives Him joy. This is why christianity is different. All religions have rules. But as we follow the bible, He gives us the power to obey. Other faiths have people putting in the effort, but no infusion of God’s power.
Lord, thank You for Your counter culture message of love. Thank You that You will fill us with Your love as we choose to obey.