By David ReayMonday 5 Oct 2020LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
Don’t allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practices, or bullying greed. Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect. (THE MESSAGE)
After being part of some conversations, we may feel as if we need to stand for a while under a refreshing shower or scrub ourselves in a bathtub. Some people’s talk seems to make us feel dirty.
It can involve coarse sexual innuendos; “jokes” at the expense of other people; harsh criticism of others; shallow or meaningless words that have no connection with an inner self. Not to say that all conversations have to be deep and meaningful. But if all we hear are superficial words which essentially say nothing, we are wasting our time.
Our words are barometers of our hearts. What comes out of our mouth actually comes from our hearts. If we are bitter and resentful towards others, if our words are usually running others down, then it says something about our inner selves. Are we so angry, so frustrated at ourselves that we take it out on others? Is life so bad for us that we want to make it as bad as possible for others? Has the spark of goodness become so diminished in us that we cannot see the good in others?
Not all our conversations can be sweetness and light, but they can become more balanced, more aware of the good in others and in the world. How wonderful to come away from a conversation with a warm feeling rather than in desperate need of a cold shower.
Blessings
David