Ephesians 4:29-32
Verse 29 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.
Today we start a topic that may take us a couple of days to work through as it has so many different angles that we need to be on guard about.
Our mouths can get us into some sticky situations. Whether it is a matter of speaking without thinking or saying something before passing it by the love test, we all need to learn a more godly way of speaking. We may call it being “hangry” or tired or many other excuses that we think are allowances to treat others less than kind. We snap, yell, and say things we should regret. James says that no one can control their tongue (James 3:7-8) but that isn’t an excuse to let it run wild.
Social media has enabled us to feel freer with our words. We read someone’s post and instantly feel like we have the right to make a comment. Granted not every comment we make online is wrong but by feeling free to say anything we want and not see the hurt it causes, we give ourselves license to continue. Because we don’t know the effects those words have on not only the original poster but the friends and followers that also read our comment, we feel like we don’t have any responsibility to the pain given.
Becoming so free with our responses via the keyboard we may find ourselves responding to those close to us with the same cutting tone verbally. The sad thing is that we have learned to steel ourselves against the pain we may see in the faces. And if they react in a similar attitude we feel justified and our conscience becomes a bit more hardened to the wrong attitude of our hearts.
The sad thing about this is that when we allow this in our lives it shows that we are not living for eternity. When we allow our emotions to dictate the words that come from our mouths and fingers, we speak from our selfishness and think only about what is earth-based. Yes, we need to care about what goes on in this life but that can’t be our main focus. Words are a vital form of communication and so our words effect not only us or those that we have directed them to, there will always be more who either overhear or will hear through the victim of our verbal attack. All those hearers have likely heard that we claim Christ and what they hear of our words could be seen as a reflection of Him and our faith. We need to remember that we witness for Christ and it will either be in a positive or negative way.
Making It Personal
What kind of words are you known for? How do you respond to hurtful words? What can you do to help you manage what you say or type?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you easily get angry and say mean words? What do you do when people say mean words to you? What can you do to make sure you are speaking words that make Jesus happy?
Closing Prayer
Father, forgive us for the many times that our mouths are used for evil. Teach us to watch our words and speak words that help others grow in relationship with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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