Coffee Breath

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our reading titled Coffee Breath was written by Adam R. Holes. I was sitting in my chair one morning, years ago, when my youngest came downstairs. She made a beeline for me, jumping up onto my lap.

I gave her a fatherly squeeze and a gentle kiss on the head, and she squealed with delight. But then she furrowed her brow, crinkled her nose, and shot an accusatory glance at my coffee mug. Daddy, she announced solemnly, I love you and I like you, but I don't like your smell. My daughter couldn't have known it, but she spoke with grace and truth.

She didn't want to hurt my feelings, but she felt compelled to tell me something. And sometimes we need to do that in our relationships. In Ephesians 4, Paul zeroes in on how we relate to each other, especially when telling difficult truths. Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Humility, gentleness, and patience form our relational foundation. Cultivating those character qualities as God guides us will help us speak the truth in love, and seek to communicate what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.

No one likes being confronted about weaknesses and blind spots, but when something about us smells, God can use faithful friends to speak into our lives with grace, truth, humility, and gentleness. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ephesians chapter 4, verses 1 through 5 and verses 25 through 31. As a prisoner for the Lord, then I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, one word, one faith, one baptism. And now picking up at verse 25. Therefore, each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your 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.

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do 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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling in slander, along with every form of malice. Let's pray. Father, help us to humbly receive correction, and help us to offer it with love, grace, and gentleness. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen Tabor, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.