Ephesians 4:25-32
"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."
How many conversations at work would be different if we followed that admonition? Only say what is helpful and benefits others. Wow, I think about everything I've said this week, and I have to admit that I have said things at work that probably didn't build others up. My big one is sarcasm. What about you? Any gossiping or grumbling under your breath? What about your humor? I put sarcasm as something that's not particularly helpful to others, but a lot of humor might also fall under "coarse joking" that Paul discusses in Ephesians 5:4. The idea of limiting speech to only what is wholesome, helpful for building up, and beneficial seems an awful lot like a vow of silence to some, I would guess. That's part of the "new self" to which Paul is calling the Ephesians (and us by extension). We are called to be different, and how we talk is certainly one way to show how unique God's people are in workplaces where unwholesome talk may be the norm. It's tough to change all at once, but make the effort and let God's grace and His Spirit work in you.
Paul returns to the idea of getting rid of hate and ungodly anger and replacing it with kindness in verses 31 and 32. Then, 5:1 serves as an endpost to this list of holy living thoughts. Think about talk. Deal with anger. Be honest. Because by doing these things, you are imitating Christ. And you choose to imitate him because you are a dearly loved child. I think that perspective is always important. These things aren't items on a holiness checklist--we imitate Christ at work because we're God's children and want to serve Him as Lord of our lives.
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