August 12, 2015: Ephesians 4:25 - 5:2

Ephesians 4:25 - 5:2

⁵So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. ²⁶Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and do not make room for the devil. ²⁸Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. ²⁹Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. ³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. ³¹Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, ³²and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,²and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Reflection:

                When I was in college a student started a silly rumor that a classmate was the child of a celebrity. This rumor probably did not do anyone serious harm, but it was incredible to observe how quickly this fabrication traveled through 1200 students. I do not believe there was anyone who had not heard the story after one week.

                Often gossip and slander are not so harmless. "Evil talk," as Paul puts it, can be detrimental to a community, make people feel unwelcome, and can further harm people when they are already going through a hard time. We often do not even think about what we have done until the words are out of our mouth. I have heard many solutions for training our tongues: changing the hand your watch is on every time you gossip, putting money in a jar when you use evil speak, even literally washing your mouth with soap! What is most important is that we transform our hearts, and then our words will fall in line. Paul tells us to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. If we can imitate Christ in our hearts, our words and actions will follow naturally.

Questions:

1. What type of "evil talk" do I commit most often: gossip, negativity, passive aggressive speech, etc?

2. What methods can I employ to stop speaking this way?

3. What is one person or group for whom I should replace my negative speak with tenderness and love?

Prayer:

God of redemption, transform me from the inside out. Make me more like you. May not only my words and deeds, but my very thoughts be pleasing to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.