If you know how many times you have had to “bite your tongue”, as my mother used to say, you will agree with James who wrote, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” (James 3:6) and “the tongue no one can tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8).
I've had a few occasions recently to think about a Bible verse that says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). This is quite a challenge, but wait, there's more! “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart,” Jesus said, “and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45).
The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue. James gives this very strong word: "If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless” (1:26). Later he likens the tongue to a small flame that can set a whole forest on fire. But he then goes on to say, "We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check” (3:6). Phew! We know that there was only one perfect person, Jesus Christ.
Does that let me off the hook? No! But it does mean we should try to do better, without “falling into a hole” when we fail – which we will.
So what is “unwholesome talk”?
Some translations say “foul language”, but I think it means much more than that. It's words that criticise or put people down, even people we don't know but see on TV or read gossip about. It's words that are not kind. Words of anger and frustration. You can make your own list. Ephesians says our words should aim to be helpful and encouraging, that they may benefit those who listen. That's a really good thing to aim for.
It's too easy to get caught up in conversations that don't fit into those parameters and speak careless, unnecessary words. It is so easy to be misunderstood and have our words misinterpreted, even if we have the best of intentions. What a different world it would be if we all thought about our words and their effect a little more.
Some use the guideline: "Is it good, is it necessary, is it kind?" The psalmist prayed this useful prayer, "Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3
Pray with me: Lord you know my weakness, you know my moods, my opinions, my sins. Forgive me, I pray, and help me to cooperate with your Holy Spirit to let my conversation be acceptable to you. Help me not to cause others to stumble. Amen.
Check out other articles in the
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More articles in the
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
If you know how many times you have had to “bite your tongue”, as my mother used to say, you will agree with James who wrote, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity” (James 3:6) and “the tongue no one can tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8).
I've had a few occasions recently to think about a Bible verse that says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). This is quite a challenge, but wait, there's more! “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart,” Jesus said, “and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart” (Luke 6:45).
The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue. James gives this very strong word: "If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless” (1:26). Later he likens the tongue to a small flame that can set a whole forest on fire. But he then goes on to say, "We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check” (3:6). Phew! We know that there was only one perfect person, Jesus Christ.
Does that let me off the hook? No! But it does mean we should try to do better, without “falling into a hole” when we fail – which we will.
So what is “unwholesome talk”?
Some translations say “foul language”, but I think it means much more than that. It's words that criticise or put people down, even people we don't know but see on TV or read gossip about. It's words that are not kind. Words of anger and frustration. You can make your own list. Ephesians says our words should aim to be helpful and encouraging, that they may benefit those who listen. That's a really good thing to aim for.
It's too easy to get caught up in conversations that don't fit into those parameters and speak careless, unnecessary words. It is so easy to be misunderstood and have our words misinterpreted, even if we have the best of intentions. What a different world it would be if we all thought about our words and their effect a little more.
Some use the guideline: "Is it good, is it necessary, is it kind?" The psalmist prayed this useful prayer, "Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3
Pray with me: Lord you know my weakness, you know my moods, my opinions, my sins. Forgive me, I pray, and help me to cooperate with your Holy Spirit to let my conversation be acceptable to you. Help me not to cause others to stumble. Amen.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
