Ephesians 4:15-32 ~ builds itself up in love

 

Ephesians 4:15-32

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Now this I say and testify 
in the Lord:

That you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

That is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.  

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Every day of our lives, we face conversations and decisions about what to say. If we were Jesus, we could say, "Zacchaeus, come down out of that tree, we will have pleasant conversations in the garden of your home, in the cool of the evening, where you will know to anoint Jesus' feet with oil and a kiss for His cheek. A Party like Matthew did."  And no one would ever be disappointed.

Recently, a blooming woman, at coffee, told us she and her sister had both faced cancer and had moved into together and healed. I told her how well she looked. She bloomed more. And she told us about her adventure with her pet dogs. I was glad for this woman that her cancer was past. We discussed dogs and leashes and walks. Edward added in about dog torque and halters. Paths and joys the days bring us. As we winded down, I wished her joy in her dog adventures! Got in the car and wondered if we should have closed with speaking about cancer. Did she look unhappy I didn't mention this? But other cancer patients say half of cancer is about wanting to never speak about cancer again and the willingness non-cancer people have to speak about cancer and more cancer and then cancer. Anyway, said a prayer as we drove home. I tend to pray a lot. Bet you do too.

Most People truly are doing their level best.

Most People truly are doing their level best.

Most People truly are doing their level best.

And then you have to realize, people are after a plague. And plagues are about anger with anger and anger. Remember... the airline flights are Bizarre, with violence and actually increased violence from 2021 to 2022. People who believe if we radically change every single thing about Christianity, Blessings, transit, medicine, morals, power power power power power, sex sex sex sex and sex and sex (power), and behavior, then we might all live to be a thousand years old on earth. 

Most People truly are doing their level best.

Most People truly are doing their level best.

Most People truly are doing their level best.

Yesterday I entered into a conversation about energy. Why. Because if we don't speak up, gently, we will be yelled down. And if we don't disagree, we will be forced down. See Ephesians 4.

My life experience is we own a family set of acres in Jackson County, Mississippi. My grandmother came to own this from her father (James Lawrence Wilson, who lived and owned most of Bolivar County, Mississippi {Along Hwy 1} as he was a banker, who required the loan farmer to have insurance from default, sold and benefitted to him, right before the depression. Later laws made this illegal, but was legal at the time. Grandmother inherited only Jackson Co. in 1953.) In 1955, the Jackson Co. land was selected to have an eighteen wheeler sized, in girth and height, oil pipeline running through a section of the land. The pipeline is huge and also runs through the Gulf of Mexico, Ocean to River swamp. And how many problems have we had on this gigantic pipeline? Zero. Pipeline fears are, really, about almost always, bogus. The pipeline companies have walkers, who walk the pipelines in the mountains and oceans and swamps. 

What happened next to the discussion of energy? Gaslighting. Gaslighting is taking the subject and changing it to become about agenda.  

DEFINITION:

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim's mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.

What happened next to the discussion of energy? 

It became this: If you were worthy, you would NOT seek to discuss energy, you would only be interested in Gun Control. The Largest Cause of Deaths in USA Children. And then a flood of Gun Control emotional anger.

I replied this: "Actually, the largest cause of deaths in the USA is abortion. Abortion isn't about just birth control. It is learning to treat each other with compassion and empathy."   And the reply was that I'm not part of a Good Lord and I'm .... terrible, rotten, and mean. It was longer running to a paragraph, but why go on. I replied this: "I disagree."

We can't let others mow us down. We have to care about them, the culture, the values and be teachers who won't mow people down. But I'm not going to let an energy topic become a gun Control topic, to become an abortion topic and let being chewed out go. 

I'm going to use this Post, this space, to teach about Life.

Let's be gentle and say this: 

This next part of the Post is about Pro Life. If you are not Pro Life and you are open to hearing about my 3.5 years of Pro Life Volunteering, then please, read on. 

The Washington Post ran an article about an 18-year-old woman who had twins because Texas changed the Abortion Law that week.  The article took every sadness and complaint about feeding twins and said, "feeding the twins," every time it would fit in the sentence. She gave up waitressing, going to teenager parties and married the father of her baby. The article pointed out that two hours after the marriage, they had to, "feed the twins." Her father-in-law gives them free room and probably some board. But you have to, "feed the twins." 

In my experience, the mothers who continue to go with ProLife groups receive Maternity Care and Clothing, for 2 years receive formula, infant food, clothing, goods like cribs, strollers, educational toys - anything a mother or father could want. Their clients are mostly poor, but two - income parents come in because - they are welcome to. The Clients of Pro Life are usually in great joy after the decision making process is complete. These families, these mothers are brave and have Tremendous Joy.

Pro Life sees mothers come in with grown children to lament an abortion. Pro Life offers healing for those women who are sad that abortion did occur.  Pro Life tells you up front and out there what we value. Life. Love. Forgiveness. And they will tell you all the truth. 

Abortion causes misery. The angry denial of hurt. The angry fight of, I had to. The knuckle bone of anger. The sorrow of lost love. That is so sad. And on the other hand, the Pro Life prayers, as a group, see powerful Jesus answer many, many, many, many prayers for ill in utero babies. For women being abused.  The women who want their secrets kept. For women who didn't know, he was a pimp using the pregnancy as a hostage.  Why Pro Life works, one of the main reasons, no one is going to follow the client. This is the place, this is the point of view. Freedom.  No one forces Freedom on someone. No one forces Love.

What Pro Life learns,

parents willing to give 

What Pro Life learns,

parents willing to give their donated

shirts off the back

to those asking for assistance to love

How we long for the time

an opinion

didn't cause

horror

and discussion

was amiable

The truth can be difficult. The Love is the healing balm after the Truth.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes Bless The Lord Jesus

Yes Jesus Bless Asbury

† †

Yay Jesus