A New Devotion - Loving and Kind

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Ephesians 4:25-32

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Loving and Kind

I’ll tell you, those three words bring back all kinds of memories, especially since my daughter was in the Weir High graduating class of 2020. You see, when she was little, these were the words her mother would use when challenging Maggie to self-evaluate her behavior. Let me explain. Whenever Maggie did something that might hurt another person in some way, her mother would ask her this simple question: Was that loving and kind? And even when she was a child, Maggie would respond with either “yes” or “no.” And if the answer was “yes,” my wife would patiently listen to her daughter explain why her words or actions were actually appropriate. And that conversation occurred so often, that the words “loving and kind” are seared into my mind, if not my soul.

And you know, I think those words really serve as the basis for what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. You see, in essence, he challenged these members of this Christian community to be loving and kind, but not just to one another. And he expected them to do it even if they were angry. In other words, regardless of what their world could excuse or justify, they were expected to be hard-working, honest and gracious. They should put away bitterness and anger, slander and malice, so that they might be more tenderhearted and more willing to forgive one another as God had forgiven them. You see, he was challenging them to use the same kind of standard that my wife used for our daughter: Were their words and actions loving and kind? And if they weren’t, then maybe they needed to change. Now that’s what Paul wrote. And given the animus and bitterness present within our society, maybe these are words we should all be applying to ourselves.