| “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths…” |
| —Ephesians 4:29a |
No, in the title for this blog post, I’m not talking about well-brushed teeth and the frequent use of an antiseptic-based mouthwash. A clean mouth is something that is harder and harder to maintain in our increasingly profane society today. Why? Because everywhere we go, we are surrounded by vile words.
Most of you reading this probably never had your mouths washed out with soap. I’m embarrassed to admit that as a small boy, probably seven- or eight-years old, my mom took a bar of Ivory soap and applied it liberally to my tongue. I had used a four-letter word beginning with the letter “s” to describe the excrement of a neighborhood dog.
Today, such punishment, or even concern for the use of such language, seems ludicrous to most people in the United States. But, I’m not at all certain that’s an improvement in our culture. In those long ago days, I never, ever, heard a woman use foul language. Today, everywhere I go, I hear women using the vilest language in normal conversation. They do this irrespective of who may be standing near them. Every bit as common is the use of offensive words to describe people with whom we do not agree. The political discourse in our land has long ago passed any limit of civility.
We all fall prey to the fact that what we hear, we repeat. I spent 30 years working at an insurance company where vile and patently obscene language was the norm. Sadly, that vile and obscene language began to seep into my own thought life and, eventually, spill out of my mouth.
We need to push a reset button. We need to take seriously the words of the Apostle Paul, 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.
If we focused on only saying helpful words, we could change the whole complexion of our society. We don’t have to agree with people’s opinions that are the opposite of our own. Nor do we need to speak ill of them with such vile ferocity, as we commonly do.
Let’s determine this day to push a reset button on our words and speak civilly and circumspectly to everyone we meet. Let’s change what we say to conform to the image of our Savior. If we reverted to speaking kindly and cleanly, surely the Lord Jesus Christ would be pleased .
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, November 24, 2017
