 Pastor Mark Hartley As a believer who is seeking to walk daily worthy of the calling that Christ has placed upon my life, I need to understand that when I enter into a conversation upon my departure an aroma will remain. The issue is, ‘Will it be an aroma that is pleasing to the Lord?’ The world is not concerned about the aroma they leave behind. The world’s philosophy of ‘Free Speech’ is anything goes. They seek constantly to dig up dirt and throw it. Sadly, many Christians have been sucked into this ‘free speech’ activity called Mud Slinging. I’ve heard it said by a wise Christian man that mud slinging at its core has only two results. You lose a lot of ground and you are left with dirty hands. Neither of which is profitable. So how does the Christian leave the room full of a sweet smelling aroma? We must follow the ABC’s of speech which the apostle Paul lays out in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” (NASB) We are going to work our way from the end of the verse to the start. We start with ‘A’: A - Administer Grace to those hearing. The word ‘grace’ means to receive something that is not deserved. The implication is that when someone says something about you or does something to you, as a Christian, your response is to speak words that administer grace even though they do not deserve it. The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes puts it this way; “Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him.” (Ecc. 10:12) In Romans 12:14 Paul says, ‘Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.’ Therefore, we have to ask ourselves, ‘Are the words that I speak administering grace to those who hear or read them?’ B - Building up according to the need of the moment. Yes, the other person may be seeking to tear down. This is critical speech. The Christian on the other hand seeks to analyze the situation under the guidance of the Lord. After analyzing the situation, words are spoken or written that seek to build up. This includes corrective speech. The reason for pointing out the difference is so that we understand there are times our speech points out the wrong a person may be engaged in. Pointing out their wrong does not mean you are not seeking to build them up. Sometimes a building has to be torn down before another can be erected. At first there may seem to be no difference between critical speech and corrective. But at the heart is the difference of motive. Critical speech only intends to destroy and do away with the person. Corrective speech seeks to ultimately build up in Christ. Therefore, we must ask ourselves before we speak, ‘What is the motive for the words I’m about to speak? Are they for building up or simply tearing down?’ Jesus spoke words of correction with a heart of compassion. C - Confine the words out of your mouth. The word unwholesome literally means ‘rotten or of no use.’ The picture is of a fruit or piece of meat that is well into the decaying process. The apostle Paul is admonishing the believer’s at Ephesus to confine their ‘speech.’ Instead of words that leave a foul odor in the air, we are to speak words that leave a sweet smelling aroma. How well do you confine the words that come out of your mouth? As believer’s we need to learn the ABC’s of Speech and use them in our daily conversations. The air will have a much sweeter aroma. After you speak, how does the room smell? Is it filled with an aroma of grace? My prayer is that the Lord will help us as believers leave the room smelling better than when we entered. Living for His Glory, © Copyright by Christian Civic League of Maine. All rights reserved. |