Ephesians

At church we have been studying the book of Ephesians.  It is actually one of my favorite books to read, probably because I like reading letters and the book is a letter of apostle Paul to the people of Ephesus.  So I am truly excited to learn more about this.

The series will run for six weeks and we are now on our 4th week, 4th chapter of the book.  The past couple of days, I have decided to read Ephesians in both NIV and The Message version.  The Message version is still my favorite, mainly because it is so easy to understand.  It is not romanticized, the word is what it is.  These are two verses from Eph 4 that struck me hard.


26 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry-but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry.27 Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.



I realized that I have to make a conscious effort in making sure that I follow these reminders.   I may seldom get angry, but I get annoyed a whole lot, with so many different things.  I realized that by harboring unpleasant feelings towards different situations I find myself in, I am opening myself to more awful positions - and I really don't want to be awful!


29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

 I noted in this verse that I have to also be very careful not only on things that come out of my mouth, but those that are running inside my head.  I would always say that my thinking mean of something is far better that me saying something mean.  But the reality is, it's just the same.  Both cloud the heart.