Would You Rather? Week 3 Thursday

Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. Ephesians 5:4

Have you ever played the game Jenga before? Jenga is a game where players take turns removing blocks from a tower made of over 50 blocks. Each player takes a turn, carefully and meticulously removing one block at a time. The player who removes a block that causes the tower to collapse loses the game. Because of this, each player moves the blocks slowly and deliberately, understanding the importance of not making the tower fall. The game is simple, but it proves a strong point. There are many things that must be done carefully and taken seriously. One of these things is our words, which are much more powerful and significant than a block tower. Our words may seem insignificant, but make no mistake, they matter. When we understand this, we must take them seriously and carefully, knowing the impact they can have.

In Ephesians 5, the apostle Paul encourages Christ-followers to carefully consider their words. “Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God,” he writes (verse 4). With this instruction, Paul is warning readers to be careful with their words. He advises readers not to speak foolishly or inappropriately, choosing instead to be careful with their words. This type of careless speaking is not for us. Foolish speaking does not point people to Christ, which is what every one of His followers is to do with their words.  

How are Christ-followers to speak instead? They are to speak gently by carefully considering each one of the words that they say, by refusing foolish and inappropriate rhetoric. Even more, they are to speak words of gratitude, particularly words of thanksgiving to God. When gentleness leads us to make gratitude the rhetoric of our lives, we are far less likely to let anger take hold of us. 

It is time that you and I take the importance of our words seriously. We have to carefully think about the impact of our words. This is what gentleness does. When we live with gentleness in mind, we consider the impact that our words can have, and we speak with gentleness. We are gracious and thankful, and as a result, God is honored and uses these words to have a great impact. 

Moving Toward Action

Think about the words you used this last week. Did you cuss? Did you tell a dirty joke? Did you miss the chance to encourage someone and instead cut them down? It may be time to take an inventory of your words. Make a commitment this week to carefully consider your words before you actually say them. Before you speak, commit to pausing and asking yourself how to speak with gentleness. Let this practice become a habit as you commit to living and speaking with gentleness.

Going Deeper

Read Ephesians 5:1-14 (NLT)