What Was He Thinking

In Ephesians 4:29 we read;

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Now think about what that verse is telling us. Before you speak, you need to consider what you will say. Don’t just let it flow. Think. Is it appropriate? Is it worthwhile? Will it build up the person hearing it? Is it timely? Will what’s said be helpful?

That’s a lot to think about before you talk. It might mean he have to slow down before we respond (James 1:19). Now while this verse is referring to what we say from our mouths, I don’t think it is a stretch to also apply it to what we what we post online. In times past, it took longer to write down and send a message, enough time that our brains could catch up and remind us of the power of words. But in today’s word of instant messages, we can type out mistakes just as fast as we can say them. Those words can be even more dangerous since they can travel so far.

So think before you speak or post. Don’t use your words to destroy or tear down. Speak things that help and don’t hurt. Don’t waste words. Use them at the right time for the right reason.

Before you speak, before you post THINK - is it...

T-True

H- Helpful

I- Inspiring

N- Necessary

K- Kind

Proverbs 17:28

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Comments

The Gift You Give Yourself

I always hated buying gifts for my Mom. If I got her something like a new set of pans, it was like saying “Here’s something you can use to go make me something to eat”. A gift for her was seemingly a gift for me. There are however gifts you give that benefit you more than the receiver. For example, forgiveness. When you give it, you are giving it to yourself as much as you are giving it to them. Jesus said that when we forgive others it means God is forgiving us our wrongs (Matthew 6:14-15). I once read: “ Heaven is where everyone's forgiven. Hell is where nobody's forgiven. So, when we forgive we pull heaven down into our lives. When we withhold forgiveness, we pull hell up into our lives ” Give yourself something nice today, Forgive.

Desire

Is it wrong to want something? I guess it depends on what we want. The Greek language had a word ‘ orego ’ that meant “to stretch oneself out in order to touch or grasp something, often used metaphorically to denote a strong desire or aspiration for something”. Paul uses this word in 1st Timothy as a good thing (to be an elder 3:1) and a bad thing (longing for money 6:10). Our desires oftentimes define who we are. They motivate us to action. They are the focus of our minds and actions. And they can be both good and bad. Sometimes we want something better and we run over people to get it. Sometimes, we want something better so we will strive to improve ourselves. Sometimes we see people with nothing they want and we envy them. Other people will see with no desire and we pity them. We need to desire good things. Be willing to work to get them. Care enough to try. We need to not desire bad things. Be willing to forgo o...

Until Midnight

In Acts 20, there is the tragicomic event surrounding a young man by the name of Eutychus. He did what a lot of folks before and after him did, he fell asleep during a sermon. Unfortunately, he was setting in in the third story window at the time. So instead of nodding off and hitting the pew in front of him, he fell to his death. The good news was the apostle Paul was delivering the sermon and had the ability to bring him back. I don’t know, however, if we can judge Eutychus too harshly. The sermon had gone on till midnight. Paul wouldn’t finish it up till daybreak. That’s a long lesson. I know some folks that might want to jump out of a window if I had a lesson that long, yet these Christians wanted to be there to hear Paul. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pushing for all night sermons but I think we might need to adopt these folks' dedication. They knew that Paul was only in town for a limited time only and they were determined to ...

Ecclesiastes 12:10

Search This Blog