As Jesus said, the devil has been a liar from the very beginning (John 8:44). So one of the first ways in which we put off the old self is to stop lying. If you think about the world it is amazing how pervasive falsehood is in life. Conversely, truth is a defining feature of the kingdom. We should be people who can be taken at their word, and whose words do not need to be treated with suspicion (Matthew 5:37).
Part of the justification for speaking the truth is that we are all part of the one body. If one part of our natural bodies starts giving wrong signals to another part, then something is wrong. Likewise we should be able to trust each other.
We need to be careful with anger. It must not become a motivating force, and needs to be controlled, otherwise it can lead to wrong actions. This can happen in two ways. it can lead to fits of rage, and it can also lead to simmering resentment. Either of these gives the enemy a foothold, an opportunity.
We may come from all sorts of backgrounds and been involved in all sorts of things before coming to know Jesus. Now that we know the Lord we must stop our previous behaviour, but not just stop it, but do something positive instead. In the case of stealing, which deprives others of things that are rightfully theirs, this must be replaced with living a useful life adding to the lives of others.
Part of the justification for speaking the truth is that we are all part of the one body. If one part of our natural bodies starts giving wrong signals to another part, then something is wrong. Likewise we should be able to trust each other.
We need to be careful with anger. It must not become a motivating force, and needs to be controlled, otherwise it can lead to wrong actions. This can happen in two ways. it can lead to fits of rage, and it can also lead to simmering resentment. Either of these gives the enemy a foothold, an opportunity.
We may come from all sorts of backgrounds and been involved in all sorts of things before coming to know Jesus. Now that we know the Lord we must stop our previous behaviour, but not just stop it, but do something positive instead. In the case of stealing, which deprives others of things that are rightfully theirs, this must be replaced with living a useful life adding to the lives of others.
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