Freedom from Forgiving (14)
Series: Ephesians
Robert Dawson
Ephesians 4: 26-27, 31
Author Ed Rowell shares this story. When I was young, a nearby family suffered greatly due to a devastating illness. Several of the children died while others experienced permanent brain damage.
In diagnosing the cause of this tragedy, they discovered the father had found a truckload of discarded seed corn and fed it to the family hogs. The corn was not intended to serve as feed for livestock. It has been treated with a chemical/pesticide to prevent bugs from ruining the seed before it germinated.
The hogs ate the seed with no apparent effects but when the family hogs became the family's breakfast, lunch and supper the family was poisoned. There are substances - chemicals, some found in certain pesticides and heavy metals such as lead and mercury - that do not pass through the digestive system but remain in the body. In tiny doses the effects are minimal but if there is continual exposure over time the poison accumulates, and the effects become harmful and even deadly. What we take into our bodies has the potential to harm us.
That is also true from a spiritual standpoint as well. There are things in this life, if left unchecked and allowed to accumulate in our hearts, that will poison our spirits, damage our relationships with others, with God and will destroy our Christian witness.
One of the deadliest and most destructive spiritual poisons is unresolved anger, anger that is either due to an actual or perceived wrong against us. When that anger is not dealt with it begins to simmer beneath the surface of our lives until it turns into bitterness and creates in us an unforgiving spirit.
Paul warns us about this in Ephesians 4.26-27, 31-32. He says, ''Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity...31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along ...
Series: Ephesians
Robert Dawson
Ephesians 4: 26-27, 31
Author Ed Rowell shares this story. When I was young, a nearby family suffered greatly due to a devastating illness. Several of the children died while others experienced permanent brain damage.
In diagnosing the cause of this tragedy, they discovered the father had found a truckload of discarded seed corn and fed it to the family hogs. The corn was not intended to serve as feed for livestock. It has been treated with a chemical/pesticide to prevent bugs from ruining the seed before it germinated.
The hogs ate the seed with no apparent effects but when the family hogs became the family's breakfast, lunch and supper the family was poisoned. There are substances - chemicals, some found in certain pesticides and heavy metals such as lead and mercury - that do not pass through the digestive system but remain in the body. In tiny doses the effects are minimal but if there is continual exposure over time the poison accumulates, and the effects become harmful and even deadly. What we take into our bodies has the potential to harm us.
That is also true from a spiritual standpoint as well. There are things in this life, if left unchecked and allowed to accumulate in our hearts, that will poison our spirits, damage our relationships with others, with God and will destroy our Christian witness.
One of the deadliest and most destructive spiritual poisons is unresolved anger, anger that is either due to an actual or perceived wrong against us. When that anger is not dealt with it begins to simmer beneath the surface of our lives until it turns into bitterness and creates in us an unforgiving spirit.
Paul warns us about this in Ephesians 4.26-27, 31-32. He says, ''Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opportunity...31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along ...
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