Corrupting Talk

Samuel Clemens, writing under the pseudonym Mark Twain, famously said, “It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open ones mouth and remove all doubt.” We have all been there. That moment where you say something and then immediately regret that you let those words slip between your lips. Samuel Clemens might have come up with this quote after reading from a different book…Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.”

Words are the most powerful thing in the world and when they are not used properly, they quickly become the most dangerous thing in the world. Words have the power to start wars and end wars, to save lives and ruin them, to speak wisdom to millions of people or to speak lies to millions of people. One word might be enough to end a friendship, a relationship, or even a person’s walk with Christ. As a Christ follower, your words must reflect the heart and mind of Christ. If you bear the name of Christ, your words also bear his name. If you claim to love God but use foul language, make up lies, spread rumors, or whisper about things that do not concern you, then you are not one with the heart of Christ.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

-       Ephesians 4:29

“Corrupting talk” in this context refers to something rotten or foul. Other translations use the word “unwholesome”. This is not limited to what we refer to as using curse words or cussing. Corrupting talk is something that is rotten and causes divides among Christ followers. Anything unwholesome that you say that causes divide among believers is rotten. Not only does it harm the relationships of everyone involved, it comes with the potential to destroy the Kingdom of God. Your words have the power to divide believers. They also have the power to do the opposite of that last part in Eph. 4:29. Our words are supposed to give grace to those who hear. Your words must reflect the heart of Christ so that the lost can see His light through your words. Speak appropriate words that build up and do not become tempted to speak corrupting words. 

Sunsets

Look at that sunset. It is absolutely breathtaking. In my opinion, all sunsets are something special. If I saw the sun go down every day, my mind would be blown every day. There is something special about sunsets that grabs our attention and won’t let go until the sun is down. Something that I have noticed in the past month or so is this: The cloudiest days end in the most beautiful sunsets. Several days this past month I was looking forward to seeing the sunset, and was afraid I would be robbed of the sight because it was immensely cloudy all day. Yet, every single day, right around the same time, the sun would break through the clouds and paint them a dazzling orange or a brilliant combination of pink and blue. Without the clouds…it would have still been beautiful, but not nearly as breathtaking.

There is a powerful spiritual truth to be taken from sunsets. The cloudiest days end in the most beautiful sunsets. In our lives we will have spiritually sunny days and spiritually cloudy days. Maybe weeks or months even, owned by either sun or clouds. There will be times where the clouds own the day; where darkness engulfs and seems to overpower everything. But we have been told:

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

- John 12:46

Even if the day, week, month, etc, is owned by the clouds, the Lord’s light rules the darkness. His light breaks through the darkness and the clouds and paints a sunset even more beautiful than if there had been no clouds. Do not allow yourself to be overcome by darkness. Hold out until the sunset and watch the darkness fold under the unrelenting sunset that is Christ’s light.

Doubt

In the past several years I have heard many sermons about doubt. Some people say it is bad to doubt what you believe because then you are either questioning or weak in your faith. Others say that doubt is good because it forces you to ponder and formulate beliefs that are grounded on something deeper. I personally see a great value in doubt and questioning. The more you doubt something, the more you think about it and force yourself to decide what you really believe.

I know many people, maybe you are this way too, that do not doubt what I might call “the big stuff”. They don’t doubt that Jesus is real, that God is real. They probably don’t doubt that Jesus died on the cross to save them 2,000 years ago. They probably don’t doubt that God is in control. But they are still doubting. They doubt that God really cares about them personally. They doubt that God is always present, even through the worst of times. They doubt that God is listening to their prayers and cries of anguish. They doubt that God is constantly intervening in every aspect of their lives in order to strengthen, perfect, and complete them.

As Christians this is part of the process of becoming Christ-like. You will always have doubts about your faith and about how God is using you and the events in your life to make you complete in his eyes. If you have never had doubts as a Christian then you just might be in trouble. If you worry about whether or not you love Christ enough, then I would guess you do. Doubt is a positive thing as long as, in the end, your faith is strengthened. God loves you. He loves his children. He will not give a child of his any more than they can handle…with his help. If you are doubting, hear this: God is very real. He is very powerful. And he loves you very much. If you trust him and let him carry your burdens, he will never let you down. Let your doubt strengthen your faith, not tear it down. God will never fail you and never let you down. You need only trust in him. 

Struggle and Overcome

We hate change. We despise, fear, and avoid it at all costs. But change is not only inevitable, it is a mandatory part of our relationship with Christ. We must change in order to follow him. We must be continually changing to follow him. It is not a one-time event. Real change lasts.

In Genesis 32, Jacob has quite a life-changing encounter with…someone. God himself…angel…we don’t really know for sure. What we do know is that Jacob was changed forever. Jacob wrestles with this man through the night, loses, and then says he will not let go unless this man blesses him. Then we get this in 32:28: Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” In 29, the man blesses Jacob.

The first condition for change that we see in Jacob is that he wanted it. He begged the man for a blessing and was willing to fight for it. He wanted to be changed, he wanted to be blessed. Next, the man tells him that his name will be changed, which was an extremely significant event in biblical times. It signified not only a change in name, but a change in character and personality. The man tells him he will be changed because he has struggled with God and with humans and he has overcome. Jacob struggled with God. He struggled with his faith. He wrestled with God. He also struggled with humans. He struggled in his relationships. Then comes the key part: he overcame. He overcame his struggles.

In order to be changed and blessed, you have to want it. You have to fight for it. You have to search for it. You will struggle with God and you will struggle with men. It will not be easy and will not be without pain, lets not forget that Jacob got his hip snapped. Then, in the end, you must overcome. You must overcome your struggles with God and with men. Only then can you be changed, and only then will you be blessed. True change doesn’t come easy, but it lasts forever and is worth fighting for.  

What does it mean to be a Christian?

         Over and over again I see pastors preaching and teachers teaching about what it means to be a Christian. They say “These are the things you do” and “These are the things you say” and “This is how you respond in this situation”. We hear these things all the time, which are by no means bad things. But these statements should prompt the Christian thinker (which we all should be) to wonder "what does it really mean to be a Christian?" Another thing that I hear over and over again is that it is your sin, or lack there of, that defines your Christianity and spirituality. 

       
 Really church? My lack of sin makes me a Christian? No person has ever lived without a lack of sin except Jesus. Everyone around you has done worse things than you’ll ever know. We have ALL sinned and ALL fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). In this world we cannot escape sin , even as followers of Christ. Until the day we die, we will be tempted and we will fail. We will sin and we will deserve death for it. It is not your sin that defines who you are or your Christianity; it is your repentance. All men sin, not all repent. Repentance is the defining factor. Genuine repentance comes from a realization of your sin and a confessing of your sin before God. After that, you pray to God to give you the strength to turn from your sin.

It is an absurd notion that if you don’t sin that makes you a good Christian. No Christian avoids sinning and no amount of good deeds or lack of bad deeds will buy you a ticket to the Kingdom of God. Repentance defines your Christianity.