the power to give

Wednesday August 15^th, Ephesians 4: 26 Don't get so angry that you sin. Don't go to bed angry 27 and don't give the devil a chance. 28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need. 29 Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say. 30 Don't make God's Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins. 31 Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. 32 Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ. Christians all too often succumb to the temptation to worry about what others are doing wrong rather than what we could do better.  Ephesians 5 used to be one of the main texts used in weddings, and it was often used as a “power over” text, pulling out the “woman be subservient to your husband” part and putting the emphasis there.  In reality, Ephesians is about what each of us should be doing, not about how we think others should act.  It is a text about the oneness of God’s creation and the unity we share with one another.  It is a text about following the law, but doing so in such a way that we see in one another as a child of God to be loved, to be cared for, to give of yourself for.  The list given above is simply how we go about treating one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.  The power expressed is the power to give of one’s self.