Calling Talk

Calling Talk

   

Remember when Mom’s

would wash out a child’s mouth with soap

for saying a bad word?

We sure had a lot less bad words then.

 

When I was growing up

and a kid would say a bad word

you would hear a mom or dad say,

“I am going to wash your mouth out with soap.”

You don’t hear that much anymore;

it seems like parents got tired of washing mouths.

Walking worthy of our calling

is to not let any unwholesome talk

come out of our mouth.

I think the first thing we think of

is cursing or swear words.

Someone asked why is it that some people

have to put a swear word in every sentence?

My observation of these people is they are

not using these words to curse or condemn.

These four letter words have become so common,

they use them as fill words and emphasis words.

How sad we give so little thought

to what we say and how we say it.

I had a friend of mine ask me the other day

what do I as a pastor use for a swear word.

The question was how can you not swear?

But even if we don’t swear,

we can still have unwholesome

words in our mouth.

The Bible teaches us that the tongue has power.

If you speak words of doubt and fear,

there is a good chance you will find

more doubt and fear in your life.

If we speak sharp and cutting words,

we will find more contention in life.

Someone once said,

“If you don’t have

anything good to say,

don’t say anything.”

That is good advice.

The scripture tells us our words

need to be beneficial to others.

They need to be

 words of grace showing favor

not sharp and cutting.

Our words need to be full of faith,

words of confidence.

Our words should be fewer;

less filler and more to the point.

Maybe we all need to wash

our mouths out with soap,

so that when we speak it

will have power and impact.

Scripture Reading

Ephesians 4:29 NIV

29 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.

Psalm 15:2-3 NIV

2 He whose walk is blameless

and who does what is righteous,

who speaks the truth from his heart

3 and has no slander on his tongue,

who does his neighbor no wrong

and casts no slur on his fellowman…

Proverbs 12:18 NIV

18 Reckless words pierce like a sword,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 18:21 NIV

21 The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

1 Peter 3:10 NIV

"Whoever would love life

and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil

and his lips from deceitful speech.