“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking (odor): so does a little folly that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.”
When I read this verse this morning, my imagination went into high gear. I thought about the yucky factor that the verse describes: dead flies in anything ruins it. So I began to think of some “dead flies” that I have experienced. You can probably identify with some of these “dead flies” that I will write about, either from other people or, if you are honest, from yourself. You might even recognize some of my pet themes in this. Here goes: Words can be “dead flies.” If you want to stink up a relationship just use some harsh and bitter words and you will succeed. Words can do a lot of good and they can do a lot of harm. I can remember some times in my life when words really hurt me. Whoever said the words might not have realized the power of their words on me, but they were powerful nevertheless. Unfortunately, I can also remember times when I have said things to people that served as “dead flies” for them. One valuable lesson I have learned is that if words come into my mind, they do not need to come out of my mouth. We can say things in the heat of the moment that we wish we could take back, but, of course, that is impossible. Be careful about these “dead flies” in your life and in your relationships. Hateful, or spiteful, actions can serve as “dead flies” in our lives. I don’t know if this is worse than unfortunate words, but it is close. One of the worst things that we can think is, “I will get you for that.” The Bible tells us not to try to get back at people for things that they do to us. One verse that comes to mind is Romans 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay says the Lord.” Other verses that come to mind are from Proverbs 25:21-22: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink: 22. For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.” Paul quoted this verse in Romans 12:20 and added in verse 21, “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” What the Bible is telling us is that when we want to do something to spite someone, or to get even with then, do something good instead. You might be thinking, “Yeah right!” at this point, but repaying evil with good is a Christian act. Beware of this “dead fly” in your relationships. Sour and hateful attitudes can be “dead flies.” There are some people who are always negative. They never have anything good to say about anything or anybody. They have become so negative that negativity has become part of their personalities. These are the people that we really do not enjoy being around. We might not think that our attitudes make a difference to other people, but we are wrong about that. Even if you do not have a sour attitude all of the time, you need to be careful about it at all times. I know that we can’t be “sunny and happy” all of the time, but we certainly need to try to be. This is true in our homes as well as in all other places. This is probably especially true in the home. It is easier to be hateful and sour at home, because we are more likely to be forgiven there. But we need to be careful about that as well. As Christians, we need to reflect the attitude of Christ in all of our relations. I know that this is not always easy, but we do need to work on it. Don’t you agree? Well, I think that we have dealt with enough “dead flies.” You can probably think of others. The three “dead flies” that I have shared with you should give you enough to work on for a while. I know that I want to work on them in my life, and use the “biblical fly swatter” (I couldn’t help myself.) to rid myself of these “dead flies.” The "swatter" is also available to you! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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