I Hate This Verse
If I’m to be honest, it’s not the verse I hate, it’s the failure to consistently apply and live by the verse that I hate.
The verse is,
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. - Ephesians 4:29
Why is that such a difficult verse to live by?
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. - James 4:1,2
We feel unappreciated, undervalued, unloved, and/or misunderstood, and it gets under our skin. And, that causes us to take our eyes off of the one who loves us more than we can imagine…God.
The worst part is, I know how to fix it, I just forget or more accurately, don’t prioritize putting into practice what needs to be done to avoid failing.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians I 4-8
Whatever is honorable, good, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise, focus on those things. Pretty simple actually, focus on Christ Jesus and his amazing love, mercy, and grace, all of which we don’t deserve, and it will be much more difficult to belittle others with our words.
Here is another perspective to keep in mind.
If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. - Ecclesiastes 10:11
In other words, once the harsh words are out there, it’s very difficult to negate them with positive words. I’ve seen many studies which indicate it takes between 5 and 10 positive complements to offset a single negative comment. That’s a lot of extra effort which could have been completely avoided if we just learned to keep our mouths shut in the first place.
Where do you start with fixing this problem?
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. - Matthew 15:18
You start with your heart. When I spend time in prayer and studying the Bible every day, I better understand God’s love for me and it warms and humbles my heart which makes it much easier to…
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. - Ephesians 4:29
So, this is my prayer for you and me…
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. - Philippians 1:9-11
Prayer, praise, and glorify the Lord is a perfect formula to help us keep our eyes on the Lord which will help us keep our heart and mouths pure.
