Ephesians 4:29 “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.” (NIV)
Wow! This Scripture is easy to read but
very hard to live. Clearly we are to never speak ill of another. Clearly we are called to treat all
others with respect and kindness. Easy, most of the time, when that person is
someone we love. Hmm…except when we are tired or disappointed or preoccupied or
busy or ……. you add your favorite excuse to be grouchy. How much harder is it
than to be nice to someone who we do not know, or who is mean to us, or who is
just plain nasty? Paul reminds us that in God’s eyes, it does not matter. God
instructs us to “not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths” and to
only “build others up” with our words. He does not distinguish that we should
only be respectful to those we love or those who are nice to us first. We
should be diligent in acting in love and forgiveness toward all that we
encounter so that we please God with our attitudes and our actions.
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