Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul encourages the use of good words and hence thoughts to pour out of the human mouth and then as such it become a grace or a blessing to the people hearing it. In today’s contemplation of cultural cannibalism I will attempt to meditate on that. I read a Craig’s list rant today about a woman in a Lexus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; who was tailgating another car near the neighborhood of Southern Village. The venom poured out in this particular rant was horrid to say the least and scary to say the most. It was as if the person being tailgated thought or perceived that the driver of the Lexus woke up and intentionally went out searching for him as a victim. What the person ranting on Craig’s list didn’t realize is that he made himself much more a victim by his rant and words.
I see it this way and I believe that God does too; when you spew venom and ill will it does indeed poison those who hear your words. This is made clear in the passage quoted above from Ephesians. That being said, it is impossible for us, even if we are deaf to escape our own words. Our words are our thoughts, our cognition made real, live and human. Our words, our thoughts are our reality and the reality that this ranting person created on Craig’s list was self inflicted poison. Of course I’d be naïve if I professed not to be somewhat poisoned by the rave too. I was which is why the meditation. Horrid words move us away from God because even in the beginning there was the word. The word was in and of God. For people of deep and abiding faith it is very simple and clear and in fact in those people I have a deep admiration, I can see at work in them daily kind and compassionate words and it does indeed color their lives.
Paul in further writings to the Colossians says; 4:6; Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. So, like salt your seasoned words, words of passion should be used sparingly. If not then you risk over seasoning your own mind and the minds of others with your words. It’s kind of simple really, our words become our reality. Think hatefully then one becomes hateful. Think and speak lovingly, then one becomes loving. Think peacefully then one becomes a pacifist. The same holds true to others who hear our words. Nelson Mandela in prison could have allowed himself to become enraged, angry, hateful and full of revenge, he could have “talked” himself into it easily while sitting alone in his cell. Had Mandela done so then I’m sure he wouldn’t have become an effective president of South Africa and such a role model, leading that nation to truth and reconciliation and isn’t reconciliation grace?
Christ through his persecutions didn’t rail against his abusers, he asked God to forgive them for they didn’t know what they were doing. Had he reacted in anger or rage he would have then moved away from God. This of course given the persona and passion of Christ was impossible, he was fully human and fully God and therefore fully good and perfect and as such he couldn’t move in an angry direction at that time. Jesus Christ didn’t allow poisonous words to fall from his lips. As fully God and fully human he knew poisonous words are the easy words, the convenient words; he rather chose enlightened and loving words and that is what we are challenged to do.
I think that this is why Paul spends so much time in his writings to the early churches discussing these kinds of issues. He knew from personal experience that hate filled words are the easy words to find. He knew from his persecutions of the early church that hearing those words made a believer out of him. Of course not the kind of believer that Christ and God were looking for. It took a strike by God on the road to Damascus to bring Saul to Paul which was where he needed to be. It took the awe inspiring might and love of God to get him there and that is the lesson for us. Trust and love God; think good, loving, peaceful thoughts and speak those words and grace pours out in abundance to all who hear them including ourselves.
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul encourages the use of good words and hence thoughts to pour out of the human mouth and then as such it become a grace or a blessing to the people hearing it. In today’s contemplation of cultural cannibalism I will attempt to meditate on that. I read a Craig’s list rant today about a woman in a Lexus in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; who was tailgating another car near the neighborhood of Southern Village. The venom poured out in this particular rant was horrid to say the least and scary to say the most. It was as if the person being tailgated thought or perceived that the driver of the Lexus woke up and intentionally went out searching for him as a victim. What the person ranting on Craig’s list didn’t realize is that he made himself much more a victim by his rant and words.
I see it this way and I believe that God does too; when you spew venom and ill will it does indeed poison those who hear your words. This is made clear in the passage quoted above from Ephesians. That being said, it is impossible for us, even if we are deaf to escape our own words. Our words are our thoughts, our cognition made real, live and human. Our words, our thoughts are our reality and the reality that this ranting person created on Craig’s list was self inflicted poison. Of course I’d be naïve if I professed not to be somewhat poisoned by the rave too. I was which is why the meditation. Horrid words move us away from God because even in the beginning there was the word. The word was in and of God. For people of deep and abiding faith it is very simple and clear and in fact in those people I have a deep admiration, I can see at work in them daily kind and compassionate words and it does indeed color their lives.
Paul in further writings to the Colossians says; 4:6; Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. So, like salt your seasoned words, words of passion should be used sparingly. If not then you risk over seasoning your own mind and the minds of others with your words. It’s kind of simple really, our words become our reality. Think hatefully then one becomes hateful. Think and speak lovingly, then one becomes loving. Think peacefully then one becomes a pacifist. The same holds true to others who hear our words. Nelson Mandela in prison could have allowed himself to become enraged, angry, hateful and full of revenge, he could have “talked” himself into it easily while sitting alone in his cell. Had Mandela done so then I’m sure he wouldn’t have become an effective president of South Africa and such a role model, leading that nation to truth and reconciliation and isn’t reconciliation grace?
Christ through his persecutions didn’t rail against his abusers, he asked God to forgive them for they didn’t know what they were doing. Had he reacted in anger or rage he would have then moved away from God. This of course given the persona and passion of Christ was impossible, he was fully human and fully God and therefore fully good and perfect and as such he couldn’t move in an angry direction at that time. Jesus Christ didn’t allow poisonous words to fall from his lips. As fully God and fully human he knew poisonous words are the easy words, the convenient words; he rather chose enlightened and loving words and that is what we are challenged to do.
I think that this is why Paul spends so much time in his writings to the early churches discussing these kinds of issues. He knew from personal experience that hate filled words are the easy words to find. He knew from his persecutions of the early church that hearing those words made a believer out of him. Of course not the kind of believer that Christ and God were looking for. It took a strike by God on the road to Damascus to bring Saul to Paul which was where he needed to be. It took the awe inspiring might and love of God to get him there and that is the lesson for us. Trust and love God; think good, loving, peaceful thoughts and speak those words and grace pours out in abundance to all who hear them including ourselves.
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