“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.” Ephesians 4:29
Do you remember getting your mouth washed out with soap?
Perhaps you do, and I would imagine that soapy taste still lingers to this day. Parents would do this to try and instill wholesome verbal skills in their children.
But this fecal of the mouth doesn’t end with the use of profanity, it continues into all of the negative comments we might make in an average day. We might complain about things. We might constantly criticize without any kind of constructive counterpoints. All we are doing is essentially spewing verbal fecal matter around us. That sounds disgusting doesn’t it? Well it is.
No one wants to hang out with a negative person all the time do they?
They tend to bring the party down. As Christians we are called to be set apart from how the World tells us to live. This passage goes way beyond using swear words, and reminds us of the necessity to build each other up instead of tear each other down. So when Paul says “let no unwholesome words come out of your mouth”, he is reminding Christ-followers to be mindful of what they say – which becomes their testimony to the rest of the world around us. The words we choose can be the very words of Christ, or they can be the words of Satan. That sounds harsh, but the reality is that words can cut deeper than any blade, and words can maim or encourage beyond what we could ever see. Words are that important! And how we choose to use them can either bless or curse the souls of those around us.
So How About You?
How are your speech patterns?
Are there areas in your life that you find difficult and you end up catching yourself speaking with fecal, unwholesome speech? Do you constantly have to fight against going negative. Does this permeate your entire outlook on life and on others around you? If so, how can you change this pattern of unwholesome talk? We can blame other people and situations, that would be the easy way out…but only when we take responsibility for our own speech and rein in our thoughts, will we ever seen measurable spiritual growth. It begins with you, it begins with me.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help me with my tongue today.
Remind me that I am set apart for you. Cleanse me of malice and negative thinking that seems to bleed out into my speech. I want to be a kingdom builder, not one who tears down. Show me what it means to be edifying and encouraging to others. Help me with the words I choose to speak. My the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Oh Lord my Strength and my Redeemer. -Amen
What kind of fruit are you picking?
What kind of fruit is your tree producing right now?
We must tread lightly here, for to insinuate that we know the mind of God is dangerous territory. However, what we know of Him and that of human interaction with the Almighty, there are certainly forms of worship God hates. Do you think the term “hate” is too strong? Does God hate?
going to be peachy. But I believe God hates obligatory worship. Imagine if I were to give flowers to my wife simply because it’s the right thing to do, not that I want to, but rather because it’s expected. How do you think she would feel if, as I gave her the flowers, I said; “Here’s you weekly obligatory flower arrangement dear!”? Do you think she would enjoy them and feel loved in my gift of those flowers? Of course not!
Worship leader – beware! Worship was never about how good YOU sing or how Awesome your Guitaring or Piano-ing is… Seriously, if all we do in worship is try to emulate a Hillsong or Jesus culture/David Crowder concert, then we’re going about it all wrong and we need to stop!
Our worship of God ought not to be a circus displaying our vast array of talents for the world to see. Real worship isn’t about a concert or our aspirations to be the next big thing in the Top Ten CCLI Worship Leaders. All these things are earthly desires – as we strive for human accolades and praise.
We Christians are often very good at quoting scripture, especially verses that bring us comfort and strength in times of need. These verses have a way of making us feel good and bring us relief in knowing that we aren’t alone and that we have One who goes before us on this faith journey. But I wonder how intricately do we know the passages that we cling to? Do we know a scripture’s complete context and the full understanding of the words we utter from memorized verses in whatever translation that we’ve memorized them from?
Jesus looked into Peter’s eyes, these same eyes that stared blankly at accusers while his lips denied his allegiance to his Teacher. Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him. Not once, not twice, but three times – the same amount of times Peter had lied and denied Him. Imagine the conviction of that moment. Envision sitting there with the Son of Man and coming face to face with your shortcomings and failures? I am certain that the tears of shame would flow, and my heart would be rent.
With professional preachers, also comes a lack of hunger. Mind you, these are not always connected. I believe this is a stand-alone problem for many within our western world. If one were to journey to some of the poorest countries in the world, you would find a see hunger for scriptural truths and churches memorizes whole chapters of scripture…where is this hunger in the more prominent and prosperous countries? I believe there is a direct correlation between comfort and security and the shallowness of scriptural knowledge! Why rely on the scripture if every want, and all of life’s comforts are met (roughly speaking)?
Pastor's Ponderings 