Weekly Meditation for August 9

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Weekly Meditation
by Val Jackson

Ephesians 4:25 - 5:2
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.


If I were to title this passage, I would call it "The Common Thread".

Can you imagine what the Christians were like who received this letter? Like most groups, they were a tapestry of personalities, perspectives, and agendas. Perhaps, at times, their differences made it difficult to get along. The writer does not advise them to become identical, but reminds them to sew a common thread, visible throughout the fabric of the organization. This letter details the personal interactions of churches with "the common thread". That thread sets the tone and is the underlying motivation for the group's activities.

The thread is to live in love - to be imitators of God. The translated word "imitator" doesn't do this concept justice. Imitators pretend to be the real thing and sometimes have self serving agendas.


More accurately, we are to be God to one another and ultimately to the world. In order to be the light of the living God, we must remind ourselves that we are all unique expressions of the same God. This helps us to authentically engage in the well being of each other. If I hurt you, I hurt myself. If I support you, I support myself. We are all members of the same circle.


This is how everyone will recognize that we are disciples of Christ - when they see the love we have for one another (John 13:35).


Today, I ask myself several questions. Am I living in love? Do my thoughts, words, and deeds hurt or bless the circle? How can I be both myself and God within this circle?