Watching Your Mouth

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.



Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

Ephesians 4:29 is one of those verses that can really make you uncomfortable.  Know what I mean?  Take a moment and honestly consider the things that you say to other people every day.  What do you talk about?  What kind of jokes do you tell?  What do you say about other people, especially those who aren’t around?  I could probably write a dozen different questions like that here but at the core of all them is the same thing: does your speech match up with what is contained in Ephesians 4:29?  Now, I would love to tell you right now “Oh yes!  My words are the epitome of this verse!  I never let anything unwholesome come out of my mouth!”  Sure, I could say that…but then I would be a liar, and that’s not exactly wholesome either is it?

What does the word “wholesome”, as it’s used here, mean?  Is it referring to not swearing, staying away from lewd subjects, and not making fun of people?   That’s one way of putting it.  It does include all those things.  However, I can think of no better definition to give you of “wholesome” than this:

The way Jesus talked.

Look at the way Jesus spoke to others.  Look at the things He said to them and how He said them.  Jesus is remarkable for many reasons, but perhaps one of the most amazing is that He is the only person in all of history to have complete control over His words.

Jesus got angry, but He never spoke out of anger.  He was around those who hated Him and cursed Him to His face, but He never once said anything back with ill intentions.  Even when Jesus did say things that were harsh, they were always spoken out of love and with a desire to build others up.

Your words, be they verbal or written, have tremendous power and are far-reaching.  Talk like Jesus talked and let your words be a force for good in this world.


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