Discarding Dis

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:22-32

Little Robby took a bite of his drumstick. “Yum! Dis is good,” he declared.

“Not dis, Robby. You need to say this,” Benjamin told him. “Put your tongue on the edge of your upper teeth. Now say th-th-th.” Robby did what his brother told him and made the sound successfully.

“You did it!” said Robby’s sister Hannah with a smile. “Now say th-th-this.”

Obediently, Robby did as he was told. “Th-th-dis,” he said, beaming.

Hannah and Benjamin laughed along with Mom and Dad. “That’s okay, Robby. You’ll get it soon,” Hannah assured him.

“You know, I think we all need to get rid of a dis or two,” said Dad. “We put dis in front of a lot of words to change the meaning to the exact opposite of what the original word meant. For example, put dis before obey, and what do you have?”

“Disobey,” replied Benjamin.

“Right,” said Dad, “and we’re all guilty of disobeying now and then.”

“But who do you and Mom have to obey?” Hannah asked in surprise.

“We have to obey the Lord,” said Mom.

“Yes, and He tells us to obey the laws of our country,” added Dad. He looked around the table. “What other dis can you think of?”

Mom spoke up. “Not too long ago, someone lied about me. Ever since then, I’ve disliked her. But since I’ve been saved by Jesus, I need to obey Him, and He commands us to forgive others the way He’s forgiven us. So I’m going to trust Him to help me take away that dis and forgive her.”

“How about being dishonest?” suggested Benjamin.

“Or being discontented or disagreeable?” Hannah offered.

Dad nodded. “So do we all agree we should discard some of the disses in our lives?”

“Sure,” Ben said with a grin. “But I’m glad it’s dis and not des that we need to get rid of. Because it’s time for dessert, isn’t it?”

Dad laughed. “I think you’re right. Let’s enjoy it and remember that because we know Jesus, He will help us do away with the disses that keep us from showing others His love.” -Vera M. Hutchcroft

How About You?

Is there a dis that you should discard? So many words beginning with dis are what we call negative words. They’re not words that help you show God’s love to others. Be on the lookout for such words that find their way into your life. Ask the Lord to help you get rid of them and let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Discard the disses so others can see the love of Jesus in your life.

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 4:22-23 Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life…Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Get rid of unloving attitudes