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 today and instructs them
about how to conduct themselves in their relationships with other people… All of us have a boiling point, a height of
anger or rage in which we will lose our minds and be careless with the things
that are spoken out of our mouths! Our patience’s has been pushed to the brink
of the cliff and we just can’t bite our tongue any longer; we have tried to be
kind but it just seems like different words must be used to address this person
and resolve this conflict… Paul tells us today that we should not let any
unwholesome talk come from our mouths; we should be about building each other
up and not trying to tear each other down. 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 how 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… 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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