5:1-3 This message is about hypocrisy and arrogance. To be a sincere individual, a person's thoughts and actions must be aligned. Paul discerns that this group of people have a superiority complex against others and yet are making the same mistakes (and sometimes even worse) than the people they look down upon.
5:4-7 Paul encourages this group to abandon their old ways of disrespecting others and to absorb this new message leaden with guidance for health and happiness. No organization, especially a spiritual one, can stand when its members are hypocritical, judgmental and arrogant.
5:8 Feast on truth and sincerity. Hold feasts of truth and sincerity. There is abundant opportunity in the word to be truthful, to defend truth, to interact and behave sincerely with the life and humans around us. Life is fascinating, intricately ethereal, when a person becomes focused rather than distracted. Focused on the value of life and compassion, truth and sincerity rather than material prosperity, personal wealth and fame, power and control.
A spiritual student quickly realizes that humankind has no power over the earth and yet all of earth and life become their power when the student realizes they are connected with it.
5:9-11 Paul wants us to find a balance; he understands that in the world, we have no choice but to come across people whose values are different from ours. Our mission therefore is to be truthful and sincere with all people, through the lens of our compassion, yet not to encourage or support in anyway that which we oppose.
Your life should be a living, consistent example of your view of the earth, humanity and your values.
5:12-13 Our judgement here is ineffective. When we look down on another person, we do not help ourselves and neither do we help them. Our most effective weapon against what we disagree with is to be a living option of how it can change.
God is attentive; He knows what is going on in the world and also within each individual's heart and mind. He wants us to trust that He is concerned and and is also always available to those who pray to Him, to those who pray for others, and even to those who we perceive to be entirely lost. Nothing is slipping past Him; every kindness is acknowledged, every evil is acknowledged. He's equipped to deal with both.
Our concern then is to be compassionate people and leave the dirty (and difficult) work of judgement to Him.
