Ephesians 4:25-27 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

The apostle Paul was writing to believers at Ephesus encouraging them to transform their way of thinking and to live in the light of what they had come to know about Jesus. The Spirit of God transforms on the inside but you have to exercise free will to do as he leads in the natural. It is you who will have to decide in each circumstance that in your anger you will not sin. Yes, it is possible to state your feelings about the thing or the action of someone that makes you angry without diminishing the person involved. “You mean I have to think before I speak?” Precisely!

The phrase “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” is often tossed at married couples as though it applies only to them. I get it! The proximity between couples makes anger very corrosive if left to fester. But it is a valuable principle for all relationships. Take a little walk with me. Imagine a time when life was less hurried and it seemed evening time merged more slowly into night. Perhaps the commute was shorter and less frantic, people were kinder and perhaps there was even someone home to welcome you. The myriad devices which intrude on relationships and conversations did not yet exist. Friends and couples alike valued each other more, so a rift was painful. They actually made the effort to mend fences and keep communication alive. That’s it: “effort” is necessary and more so if you are a child of God. And the reason is clear – if you do not, you give the devil a foothold in your relationship.

When I was a child I heard someone say the definition of “neighbor” is anyone with whom you come in contact. Ouch! Oh do you have a lot of work to do before sundown!