Our scripture this morning is Ephesians 4:30-32.
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.
Paul writes to the church in Ephesus with guidance on getting rid of ill feelings and bad behavior and replacing it with compassion so as not to “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” This tells us how important it is that we empathize with and forgive one another “just as in Christ God forgave you.”
In 1 John 4:11 we read ”Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.“ Peter tells us ”Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble“ (1 Peter 3:8). It’s important that even if we are not in the same situation as others, we all have that “been there, done that” experience of knowing God’s compassion and forgiveness.
Jesus teaches ”You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate” (Luke 6:36). It’s not just a nice thing or a good idea, Jesus says “you must”! We need to give and accept the love and forgiveness we have all first received from God.
Loving Lord, when we fell into sin, You sent Your son to save us. Help us go in Your name to show Your love to a hurting world. Amen.
