What I’m Thinking: Good Advice

Is the Bible easy to understand, or does it take work to figure out its meaning? Well, that depends. Which part are you reading? In Ephesians 4:25-5:2, you’ll find straightforward good advice.

Here’s a transcript:

I’m asking a question this week: Is the Bible easy to understand, or is it difficult? Does it require a lot of work?

The answer is: It depends on which part of the Bible that you’re reading.

This week’s Epistle lesson from the end of the fourth chapter of Ephesians (Ephesians 4:25-5:2) is one of the ones that’s fairly straightforward. It’s simply good advice for how to live a good, a righteous, a fair, and an open – openhearted – life. 

Just take a listen to some of this advice:

Put away falsehood.

Be angry, but do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your anger – that is, don’t dwell on things, but work them out.

Thieves, give up stealing – I’d be grateful to see that happen.

Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only that which builds up. Oh, would that that were far more frequently done in our day!

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander.

Be kind to one another. Forgive one another. Be tenderhearted.

Now that is, I think, some pretty good advice: Good for Christians; good, I suspect for just about any faith tradition the world has ever known.

Pretty much all of us stress kindness, generosity, righteousness.

That’s what I’m thinking. I’m curious to hear about what you’re thinking. Leave me your thoughts in the comment section below; I’d love to hear from you.