| “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 |
If you work in an environment where you constantly hear unwholesome language, either outright profanity, or denigrating words spoken about others, it is far too easy to begin to adopt some of that way of talking. The brain remembers the environment. Hearing swear words, dirty jokes, or offensive statements, all prime our brains to believe that such talk is acceptable. In fact, our society today has become quite coarse. Several noted psychologists have written about the effects of the coarsening of our culture. When things formerly, and properly, designated as “evil” or “unacceptable” become common practice, it has a trickle-down effect on the whole of society. This coarsening produces a very gritty, unclean pattern of thoughts that often leads to despicable behaviors.
The Apostle Paul offered these wise words of admonition to the Christians gathered in the Church at Ephesus, as recorded in Ephesians 4:29:
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.
God wants us to represent Him as those who are holy. While we remain stained by sin, as long as we live here on earth, the Holy Spirit welcomes our invitation to help make us more and more like Jesus. We can apprehend Christ’s righteousness and holiness. If we do, we will represent the One who loves us in a way that will please Him and be used by God to draw others into His loving arms.
As we launch into this new day, let’s sharpen our awareness of how we speak. Do we use profanity? Do we engage in unwholesome conversations? Do we criticize and put others down? Do we create an atmosphere of coarseness around us? If so, let’s stop and reset our attitudes about such language, thoughts, and actions.
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, October 20, 2017
