Walk in Love


You probably think it's disgusting. Like dog food the cranberry sauce in a can comes out in the shape of the can. Then it gets put on a plate and you cut off your slab of cranberry. I actually like it, which makes me weird, however, most find the can shaped cranberry sauce log to be rather unappetizing.

One year for Thanksgiving, I bought the real cranberries. "This year is going to be different," I said to myself. I planned to boil the cranberries down with a little sugar. I did not do well at following the recipe and my taste test turned into a nightmare. I recoiled as the cranberries struck back at me with all their fruity venom, they were so bitter! Bitterness leaves our faces pinched in agony and searching for a sweet solution to the troublesome taste on our tongues.

The apostle Paul touched on the topic of bitterness in the letter to the Ephesians. Paul writes:

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. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4:31 - 5:2)

Bitterness. Wrath. Anger. Clamor. Slander. Malice. All of these must be put away from the Christian.
The fact that bitterness is listed here first might signify that bitterness is the root of all of the problems of wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice. The idea behind the word bitterness is the idea of a resentful spirit. Out of the heart of bitterness comes wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice toward others. Wrath and anger denote impulse and a disposition of rage and violent emotion. Clamor and slander involve an outcry against a neighbor or seeking to detract from another's good name. And malice can be considered ill-will and a desire to injure. When I think of malice I think about the idea of rooting against someone or desiring their harm.

Earlier in the text, Paul tells us to "be renewed in the spirit of our minds and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:23-24). As a sign of this renewed life for the Christian, Paul writes that all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander should be put away. The Christian is to work to cut off all heart attitudes bitterness and resentment.

How can we resist our tendency toward bitterness?

We consider what God has done for us in Christ.
Those who have been renewed in the 'spirit of their minds' should be the most forgiving people on the planet, because they have received forgiveness from God through Christ. As the shortstop gets into his stance when the pitch is thrown so that he is in the ready position for a ground ball hit his way, so should the Christian be ready to forgive. The Christian should be someone who is compassionate, benevolent, and gracious. The way to do that is to consider what God has done for you in Christ. Paul writes earlier in his letter that "God, being rich in mercy, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5). God in Christ forgives those who are dead in their sins. How much more should those who have been forgiven be a forgiving people!

We remember our standing as a beloved child of God.
I love the Green Bay Packers.
Before I knew who the Green Bay Packers were, I loved the Green Bay Packers. Even though I was a little toddler, I put my heart and soul into watching Packer games. I wanted Packer clothes and autographs from the players. The reason why I loved the Packers so much was because of my high regard for my dad and my desire to imitate and be like him. I was just a little boy, but when I saw the way my dad loved the Pack, I mimicked him. I emulated his love for the Packers.

In the same way, those who are in Christ Jesus are the adopted sons of God! If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you have joined the family of God. You are a beloved child of the Most High. Therefore, Paul says, you should imitate your Father. As God was rich in mercy toward you, so should you be rich in mercy toward others. Jesus says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy" (Matthew 5:7).
The children of God who seek to emulate their Father in heaven reveal their adoption as sons who are created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Lastly, we should give of ourselves. 
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. The best kind of love is sacrificial love. Christ's sacrifice of himself on the cross for our sake is the supreme and pivotal act of history. His actions rose up to God and were accepted as a "fragrant offering" that pleased God! Christ's sacrificial death is what purchases our life! When we are willing to show others mercy and grace - even when they don't deserve it - we are being sacrificial. Forgiveness means laying down our claims of justice and instead offering pardon. We follow the pattern of Christ when we let go of what we have over people, and instead give ourselves up for their sake.

Cranberries start off as bitter, but they just need sugar. Bitterness wrinkles our hearts, but God's love opens our hearts up to be sweet and sacrificial. When we show mercy to others and give ourselves up for them, we show that we are beloved children of God who walk in the love of Christ.

Are you working to put away bitterness and walk in love?

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