If you can’t say anything nice…

Ephesians 4:29-32

As we become more and more familiar with the Word of God we begin to recognize where many of the traditional norms of our society came from, even though we are drifting away from them. In today’s passage Paul admonishes us to be careful about how we speak to one another. In effect he is saying, as many of our mothers did, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”

In truth, Paul uses words slightly stronger than those of our mothers. The word which is translated “unwholesome” in the NIV is translated “corrupt” in the King James and is from the Greek word meaning rotten, derived from the word meaning “putrefied”. He is really saying that we should not let anything rotten or putrid proceed from our mouths. The things that would be considered putrid speech would be as listed: bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander and malice. These things do not build up our listener, but rather grieve the Holy Spirit. Our mother’s advice was sound; if any of these are about to proceed from our mouths, we would be better off to say nothing.

We have the choice, however, to speak only those words which are helpful in building others up according to their needs. Words of compassion, kindness and forgiveness accomplish the work of the Lord in our lives and the lives of our listener.

Let us attempt to monitor our speech for one hour today, asking the Lord’s help in doing so. By an act of will, if we find we are about to speak in an unwholesome (rotten, putrid) manner, let us stop and hold our tongues and search for words which will intentionally build up and benefit the person listening. And if we can’t say anything nice, let us not say anything at all!

Lord – Help me to be mindful of the things I desire to speak today, even before I speak them. Convict me of those things I would say that might tear others down or compromise my witness for you. Give me the specific words which will build up the person with whom I am speaking, for you know all of our needs. Use my tongue as an instrument of your will this day. Amen.

As long as it is called Today...

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Hebrews 3:13

For the past two weeks various members of my church have been meeting at the alter three times daily to pray for our short-term mission team which was in Senegal, West Africa. It has been one of the greatest blessings of my life.

I am surprised at how saddened I am to see this time coming to an end. I have made acquaintances through this process, and old acquaintances have become dear friends. When you pray with someone daily, an incredible bond is built between you - one that transcends any other friendship this world can offer. You truly do begin to see each other as brothers and sisters!

To the ones that have been there with me, I love you all deeply. I wholly subscribe to what the writer of Hebrews stated in the passage above. It is difficult to allow your heart be hardened when you are being encouraged daily by your brothers and sisters in Christ. It's not the American way to give your time so you can meet with others, but it is God's way. There is oftentimes nothing convenient about God's will or His work.

I have spent time in the Book of Acts of late because I love to contrast and compare that account of the mighty move of God with what happens among us every time we send out an overseas team. One concept from that book keeps striking me again and again, recounting the daily lives of the early church:

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2:46-47

For the past two weeks, we have met every day in the "temple" courts. We have been together with glad and sincere hearts. I have to believe it wouldn't take long before the unchurched around us would take notice and we would begin to enjoy favor with them, and perhaps the Lord would add to our number daily those who are being saved!

Lord-

I know that you have ordained that we meet together for these two weeks. I know that I know you have called us to this task. Let us not now let down our guard and go back to where we were, but let us encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of us my be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

One Spirit to drink...

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

Genesis 11:5-7

After the great flood of Genesis the peoples of earth shared a common language and came together on the plane of Shinar and decided that they would do what sinful human nature will always do when given the chance - they attempted to elevate themselves to God's level. Here's what they said to one another, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves..."

In this passage of scripture God acknowledges the power of men, working in concert, to accomplish great evil. Obviously these peoples were moving toward something that God could not allow and His answer was to confuse their speech and break them up linguistically so they could not ALL work together to accomplish this evil thing.

As with just about every sinful behavior in the Old Testament, there is a New Testament redemption of and reversal of this event. After the coming of Christ and the ultimate way of redemption for mankind, God needs redeemed individuals to work in concert - every tribe and tongue - to accomplish his will of the redemption of all mankind. What God needs is an organization like Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13:

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

As I was reading in Acts 2 and pondering what happened at the day of Pentecost last night, the Lord revealed to me this marvelous reversal he accomplished through the Spirit so that His will in spreading the Gospel would be accomplished:

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment,because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?"

After Peter explained to them the Gospel, the scripture recounts that about three thousand people were added to the church that day, many of whom I am sure went home and shared with others, spreading the message of Christ all over the known world!

Lord-

As I come back to your Word again and again today let it speak to me in new ways - ways which I have not before considered. Let it impress upon me your will, the completeness of your working, your unimaginable complexity. Let me become immersed in your thoughts, led of your Spirit to a new understanding of the intricacy of your plan - the sheer awesomeness of your Living Word unfolding before my very eyes!

As a body, Lord, as one church let us work together using the same heart language - the language of the Holy Spirit - to accomplish your will of the redemption of all mankind!