"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."
I never really seriously thought about that before - "only what is helpful for building others up"? What does that look like? It's got me thinking. I think a lot about the first part of the verse - no unwholesome talk - but I think sometimes I forget that second general guideline, which tempers the first part and definitely alters things a lot. What an excellently clear qualifier; when I think about what that would look like, it is so beautiful. If only we really did speak only the things that would build others up and benefit those who hear!
I am thinking I really need this verse. Lately I think I have hurt some people through things I said.
This also makes me think of Matthew 15:11, when Jesus explained, "What goes into a man's mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him unclean." In verse 18 He continues, "...for the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man unclean."
Our words are an excellent heart test. I think we need but look over the content of our speech and conversation over the past 24 hours or past week or so to see what is in our hearts right now. A very accurate test, and scary.
When I think about it...I think I really need a heart makeover in some areas.
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