Do not
let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen.
Ephesians
4:29
When I was
a little child I can recall how often my father would instruct me to think before I speak… Even though I never
really paid his instruction in mind, today I have come to know and understand
what exactly he meant… Words are powerful, the things that we speak can produce
seeds of abundance or failure in one’s life; this is why James writes in the 3rd
chapter of his book of the importance in taming our tongue… In this chapter he says,
“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what
he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put
bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole
bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven
by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of
the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great
things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue
is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members,
staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on
fire by hell. ...” Your
tongue has the ability to transforms lives or tear them down, your tongue has
the ability to reap corruption or alter the atmosphere; because of the power
that lies in it’s use, we are reminded today that we must not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouth… When I read
this passage there are two points that jump out to me; either you think before
you speak or you need to just learn to shut up… Through today’s devotion we
learn the importance of control our tempers and not allowing any crack or
crevice to be created so that the enemy can manipulate his way into our lives
and situations through a bit of anger within us… There are many verses in the bible
that deal with anger; however, to become angry is not a sin… Proverbs 29:11
says, “A fool gives full vent to his
anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.” You can and will become anger (even Jesus became anger), but
the key is not allowing your anger to be vented and the easiest way to keep
this from happening is controlling the things that come out of your mouth… Paul writes to the church
of Ephesus
The things you say about others are
really a reflection of yourself… When you speak to someone in love, this directly displays
the love that lives inside of you; on the contrary, when you allow unwholesome
talk to come from your mouth you really are putting forth a public display of
who ugly you are inside… This is why Paul reminds the church that unwholesome
talk is not acceptable… How can you lead someone to Christ if you are talking in
a way that will allow their paths to be blurred…? How do you expect others to
come to church and join in the fellowship when you run down all those people
who you turn around and smile in the midst of…? The things that come out of you
are the things that defile you, “What goes into a man's mouth does not
make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him
'unclean.” There are people who you are assigned to encounter on a
daily basis and they cannot see Christ in you if profanity and unwholesome talk
is coming out of you… This is the problem that has plagued the church for quite
some time, we speak one thing and display another… Understand that you are
called to a higher standard and that means that you must display yourself in a
higher realm of Christ daily… This is why Paul goes on to say that only things
that should come out of you are things that are helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may
benefit those who listen… When we engage in unwholesome talk, we are in
essences placing ourselves on the same level of a fool. We are allowing Satan
to corrupt our thoughts and distract us from bringing a positive spin on a
negative point… People will always talk about you, they will always say things
that you may not agree with or may be hurt by, but the ultimate sign of a true
Christian is not your response in words to the accusations, but how you flip
this trial so that God receives glory and honor. Isaiah 53:7 says,” He was
oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb
to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not
open his mouth.” The bible says that when Jesus was on trial He remained
silent, when people hurled insults He remained focus to the goal at hand and
was able to not only complete His task but also bring glory to His father and
become victorious… We don’t stoop to
other peoples level because all it does it keeps us from reaching the level God
wants us to get too… The devil will come in many forms and will try his
hardest to delay God’s blessings and grace which is to be bestowed in your
life; we cannot allow him to delay it through our mouths nor our actions… Let
us focus on building up the church and not talking about it, let us focus on
correcting mistakes and not dwelling on them, let us remember to keep Christ
first in our thoughts and not a (n) afterthought. People are watching you, they
are observing your walk and how you handle various situations, show them the
God in you and the not the side of you that is still a work in progress… Bottom
line, think before you speak and if that doesn’t work just shut up…
BE BLESSED!!!
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