January 08 2026

Thursday January 08

The Motivation Behind the Admonitions

Ephesians 4:22-28

22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. 26 "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Welcome to Pastor's Chat today.  We have been talking about what it means to put off the old man and put on the new man—what it means not to walk as the lost world around us walks (Ephesians 4:17). We are to live differently because we are followers of Jesus Christ. Remember, when Jesus was reviled, He reviled not again. He submitted Himself, even to the point of death, at the hands of wicked and evil men (1 Peter 2:21-24). My friend, when we are like Jesus, we are willing to take a blow on one cheek and turn the other, saying, “You can hit the other cheek also.” When someone takes our coat, we can say, “You can have my shirt as well.” That is what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-48).

To respond to offences this way is a different kind of life—and that is why these verses are so important. Paul reminds us of the motive behind each of the five admonitions of sins that we are to “put off”. The admonition “to put off lying”. Why? The motivation is because we are members of one another, and therefore we are to speak the truth to one another. The next admonition is, “Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” The motivation is to remember that whenever we allow anger to get the best of us—when anger turns into bitterness and malice, and then is released in wrath—it brings harm, hurt, and destruction to others and even to ourselves. At that point, we have given place to the devil.

It is important to understand that the emotion of anger itself is not sinful. Anger is actually a good thing because it reflects that we have a sense of justice, that we all have, because we are created in the image of God, Because God is a God of justice, He must punish evil. The Bible tells us that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). In that sense, our emotion of anger reflects a God-like concern for what is right and should be rewarded, and what is wrong or evil and should be punished. However, Scripture teaches in both the Old and New Testaments that we are to let God take care of vengeance.

Paul clearly speaks of how as believers we are to responded to evil and offences in Romans 12:17-21: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

Let God take care of the offense or pain you feel in your heart or life. When you do, you are able to display the character of Christ by forgiving those who harm you. Stephen did this when he prayed, “Lay not this sin to their charge.” Jesus did the same when He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” We take the hurt, the pain, and the offenses committed against us and choose to forgive. In doing so, we are like Jesus. We are following His example. We are allowing the light of God and the life of Christ to shine through us.

It is very human and very natural to respond in anger when we are hurt, because we do have a sense of justice. But we must allow God to be the Judge. He is the One who will take care of the vengeance we feel in our hearts. We are not to get even as the Gentiles do—saying, “I’ll pay them back.” No, my friend, you don’t need to pay them back. God will take care of that.

In the meantime, instead of giving place to the devil and allowing him to ruin and wreck your life, you give place to God. You worship God instead of Satan. You are saying, “Lord, I want You to rule and reign. I want You to display Your power and Your glory in my life.” Remember David in the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms. He expressed his anger, but he took it to God. Read Psalm 109. David prayed for God to bring justice upon those who had wronged him. He gave it to the Lord and said, in effect, “Lord, I place this in Your hands.”

That is exactly what Romans 12:21 teaches us to do. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” You have the opportunity to do good to those who hurt you and cause you pain. In doing so, you demonstrate that you truly trust God to handle the justice, the consequences, and whatever needs to be done in the life of the one who hurt you.

Oh, my friend, we have the privilege of walking as Christ walked and living as Christ lived because we have His power—His Holy Spirit—living within us. If it is possible, as much as depends on you—and remember, He lives in you—you simply yield yourself to Him. Trust Him. Determine to obey His truth. As you yield to the Holy Spirit, love, joy, and peace will be displayed in your life, and the people around you will see Jesus in you—especially when you are hurt. Instead of giving place to the devil, you give place to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is displayed and glorified through your life.

God bless you, and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day.