Salt in My Kitchen ....series

 

 Salt in my Kitchen

By:

Jeanette Lockerbie

 

The Twenty-Four-Hour Virus

Bible Reading:

 

 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. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:26b-32

 

A young professional couple in New York take the above verse literally. They admit:

"Although sometimes it's way past our bedtime before we settle a difference, we've made this rule. We never say 'Good-night' to each other until we have cleared up whatever has caused strained relations during the during the day. Better to get it out of our system. Who wants to start a day with a virus of misunderstanding left over from yesterday?"

 

Wouldn't you agree that this is sound reasoning? Why cloud the morning horizon? Each day brings its own quota of human problems. No need to aggravate these by aggregating them.

 

An experienced minister had through the years offered God's cure for the virus of misunderstanding, bitterness, and anger to every couple he has united in marriage.

 

"You think today that you will never need this advice," he tells the shiny-eyed bride and the proud groom as he quotes:

 

"And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." vs. 32

 

This is God's prescription and, taken before bedtime, it is guaranteed to work in less than twenty-four hours. Neglecting any virus is asking for trouble and complications. Would not this be a good night to try God's sure cure?