Ephesians 4:31 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

To move towards loving one another…we must move away from hate, anger, and bitterness.  Here in Ephesians we are told to get rid of these negative traits and emotions.  Interestingly enough,  the Greek word for “get rid of”  in this verse actually  means to put away vices.  Vices, a word you don’t hear often…a word that according to the Dictionary means habitual faults or undesirable behavior patterns.  Sadly, too many children take into adulthood bad behaviors that were first modeled for them by their parents.  They watch as their family inappropriately handles conflict and confrontation, and listen as others are slandered and vilified around the dining-room table.  We learn what we see and hear,  but that doesn’t mean we can’t put off our old fleshly nature and move away from adverse behaviors that are causing us pain and resentment.