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Colossians 3:8 NLT
‘But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.’
Passion is what moves us most. Passion for those we love and for those we dislike. Passion fuels our hobbies, ambitions and dreams. Yet, passion gives rise to language, and words are a potent force for good or ill.
I have cause for regret over many things I’ve said. I think quickly on my feet and yes, I am a passionate man. I embrace causes and hold strong opinions. I also enjoyed twisting the verbal knife with a sarcastic comment or patronising tone. As a teenager, I relished securing centre stage by the careful use of my tongue, ensuring a cabal of followers hung upon my every word. As Jayne says, ‘I’m not sure I would have liked you then.’
St Paul identifies speech alongside passion as the most essential indicator of our behaviour. Language and the way we use it reveals the substance of our heart and therefore our being, for the heart is the repository for the life of God within.
I so often destroy people’s reputations behind closed doors. I appear to retain some right to determine those I am to respect and those who I might put down, dissecting their character as though my perspective is accurate and appropriate. Jesus speaks of forgiving others, loving enemies, turning the other cheek. I so easily seek mitigating circumstances to justify my less than godly behaviour.
When I say speech, I mean what takes place in the mind as much as what we verbalise. It is an effort to clean up our speech. Yet, it is one of God’s imperatives. The impact of earthly speech is that it again creates division and hatred. It lies at the heart of prejudice and justifies senseless acts of hatred and violence, as our social narrative reveals daily. It’s time to choose language that reflects where we are seated with Christ rather than the sounds that fill the marketplace.
QUESTION: Reflect upon how you use language, inside your head as much as through your mouth.
PRAYER: Your word says that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. May my heart be full of love.
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