Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29, NASB)
We’ve all experienced the influence of positive and negative words. In golf, a negative comment is never good. When your ears hear, “Don’t hit it left into the water.” Your brain hears, “Hit it left into the water.”
I’m not a psychologist, but I have enough golf experience to know that the above argument is valid. I know that our words have weight.
As followers of Jesus, we should consider the weight of our words long and hard. It might be the most important lesson a Christian with very sound theology needs to hear. Jesus called his followers to be two things that make a positive difference in the world – salt and light.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
The quickest and easiest way to lose influence with those who know us is with our words. We can disqualify ourselves from having a spiritual power in an instance with poorly chosen words.
We may not realize it, but our political or religious rhetoric could be the biggest barrier between future Christ-followers and us. Jesus reserved his most aggressive verbal attacks towards the super religious and political (known in the Bible as Pharisees and Sadducees).
I am confident that he cared deeply for everyone, but he also knew those distant from God needed positive feedback and the truth.
Let’s understand a couple of communication principles:
- The relationship you have with others is rarely the same relationship that they have with you
- Equal value of a person does not equal power, influence, and authority
For example, if you are a Links Fellowship leader, your words carry a lot more weight to a participant than the average participant’s comment will mean to you. Your words to your children weigh much more than those they tell you. If your boss compliments your work, it means more to you than your compliment of their work will to them.
Let’s bring this all home. We must recognize and take responsibility for our words’ impact on others. If we claim to follow Jesus, our words likely represent Jesus to the person we are communicating with.
After all, we are his ambassadors. We should strive to “Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:20).
Often, we don’t see the spiritual impact that we are having on others’ lives. Maybe we don’t realize the impact of our words.
Prayer: Father, we pray that our words will be salt and light of the way of your kingdom to those with whom we interact.