“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 Well, if I had been faithful in this regard, I wouldn’t have to be writing this series, now would I? What exactly is unwholesome? Wiktionary defines it as ”not wholesome; unfavorable to health; insalubrious; unhealthy; as, unwholesome air, not sound, diseased, tainted, impaired, defective, indicating unsound health, characteristic of or suggesting an unsound condition, physical or mental, repulsive, offensive.” Wow. The one that really stands out to me is “diseased.” Unwholesome words are diseased. That’s pretty strong stuff, right there. Today’s focus is on the “belittling tongue.” Practically no one, including myself, wants to admit to having belittled someone. If we have, it was probably in some vain attempt to make ourselves feel better, or bigger than we actually were. We were probably so insecure, that the only way we could feel good about ourselves was to disparage someone else. I won’t lie, I can remember a time when someone had hurt me so badly, I ridiculed them every chance I got because in some sick way, it relieved the pain of their betrayal. Of course the momentary pleasure that I got for the remarks, was only temporary and after it was all over with, I felt even worse about myself for resorting to such childish behavior and stooping down to their level. Our words are like hammers. They can be used for construction or they can be used for demolition. Build up or tear down? What do your words do? The Bible tells us “Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) If your words are not encouraging others, perhaps you need to learn how to be a verbal cheerleader. Before Christ, this was impossible for me. I’ve always been single-minded, task oriented, self-promoting and performing. Encouraging you was not on my “to do” list. But now, I take every opportunity to give a kind, uplifting word to a brother or sister. When you think of the impact our words make on someone’s soul, do you want to inflict disease or help to heal a wound? You never know the importance of a kind word spoken at just the right time. You could have a profound impact on their day, their week, their year! If we are going to make anything about a person seem smaller than it actually is, why not pray with them over something that is troubling them. Come into agreement that blessings are on the way and assure them that God is in control. Hammer the Word of God into them and watch them start to grow! You will feel good, they will feel better and God will be pleased. Makes for a great day!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:59:53 +0000
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