25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Paul gives good advice to those who are newly converted to Christianity. He asks them to put away their old way of life and embrace the new. Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t stay angry, are familiar to us as a few of the Ten Commandments. The line that tells us not to “let the sun go down on your wrath” is often used as good advice to those who are married. That way all issues are settled and when you wake to a new day, the anger is gone and you can start new. Good advice to all of us! Notice that Paul is again telling people to help those in need.
Last week, my daughter and I visited with my granddaughter who lives in another state where the weather is much warmer that where either I or my daughter live. Walking to a restaurant, a store or a park, there are many people who sit on the sidewalk and beg. Some of them will play music in order to encourage people to make a donation. My daughter always stopped and gave some small amount of money to those who played the music. She felt that they were trying to do something to earn the money. She, herself, does not have very much money, but still feels it’s important to give. We all know we don’t like to be lied to, so why do people insist on lying? One friend joked that you need a really good memory to be a good liar. So true, and once a person is known to lie, they can’t be trusted even when they are telling the truth. Anger hurts the one who is angry more than anyone else, although it can spill over and affect the lives of loved ones. However, eventually, people avoid someone who is continually angry and negative. Paul lists other virtues to develop and vices to avoid in these chapters, much more than can be reflected upon here. Perhaps at a later time!
Lord, you have given us the recipe for happiness and all we need to do is follow it. Please help us in our daily lives to eliminate anger, falsehood and everything else that will bring us and others unhappiness. Amen.