It is Calvary Baptist Church's Desire to fulfill God's Great Commission -- This Project was pre-prepared by God for His Vision to rebuild His Sanctuary....
Rebuilding God's Sanctuary
January 5, 2009 - Calvary's big step of Faith. Please join us in fulfilling the Mission. Continue to pray for us!
PTR. LORENZO BOBIS
Resident Pastor
And open a wound with its lingering smart;
And a word may heal or a word may charm
If it comes direct from a loving heart. —Anon.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin"[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Have you ever heard of one snake eating another snake? According to zookeepers, two of these reptiles will sometimes grab different ends of the same piece of food. Sooner or later their struggle for that last bite brings them nose to nose. But then comes the surprise. The snake with the widest bite will keep right on going and actually swallow the other!
Christians have been known to "consume one another" too. We may say something unkind to a fellow Christian, who then becomes defensive, and an argument develops. We know we would be better off if we held our tongue and trusted the Lord for the outcome, but we just keep going.
It's easy to assume that we're too mature to let things go too far. But the apostle Paul reminded us in Galatians 5:15 that words and emotions can get out of hand—even among Christians. When this happens, feelings get hurt, friendships are destroyed, the church becomes divided, and the body of Christ suffers.
It is crucial that we ask the Lord daily to help us to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another" (Eph. 4:32). Only as we rely on Him will the love of Christ in our hearts replace the man-eating impulses of a sharp tongue and a bitter spirit. — Mart De Haan