Thursday, October 31, 2024

Listen to the Word

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)

According to Ephesians 4:29, the only words that we should allow to come out of our mouths are words that build others up and benefit those who listen. 

Imagine how rare speech would be if we simply left unsaid all the things that didn’t meet those criteria. Imagine a day without grumbling, bragging, exaggeration, reputation assassination, cruel humor, or pointless yammering. Imagine a day where all the negative words, and even the neutral words, are left out - and all that is left is encouraging, helpful communication. Imagine a day when the only words that are spoken are those that actually represent an improvement over silence!

Live the Word

Listen to the words you hear all around you today and notice how few of them live up the standards in Ephesians 4:29. Ask God to use this exercise to train you to use your words only in ways that honor Him.