Oh be careful little mouth what you say

Ephesians 4:26-29 tells us "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold...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."

This is a great passage for many reasons. The first one is that it validates the fact that we are going to be angry. If you are like me--even though it's still early--there has already been a couple of things to make my blood boil.

Boil? This early? Wow: what were they?

Well (since you asked) I got kind of upset when I saw that the devil had been messing with one of my sisters. He really got her riled up during the night and caused her to get white hot angry, the kind that makes you say things you wouldn't normally say and reflects poorly against my Dad. The other was when I turned on the news to see that the weather and Donald Trump were much more important than the terrorist in my own country that killed those who are serving it.

But I stray. This is another trick of the devil: he gets our attention on the things that make us emotional rather than allowing us to stay focused on The One Who is in charge of it all. Those footholds spoken of in these verses? Yeah, that's how he operates, from the bottom, waiting to trip us up. But notice what the verse says next: "do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths." If he can trip us up and then make us swear or fuss, then he wins double. Not only did he cause us pain, he allowed us to voice that misery and possibly defame our Lord in the process. That's why it is so important to guard our tongues, friends!

The last part of the verse states "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." We are to speak what is helpful so that we may build others up. When we are angry, do our words of "helpfulness" spur further rage or do they allow a balm to cool us down? When I saw the note my friend wrote, my first thought was to send her a note and let her know that I was sorry she had to experience this attack but then--because she is my sister and needs a little boost--I reminded her that she should not let this incident ruin her testimony. I encouraged her to talk to me if she needed to vent but to not let the world know about her angst.

Now, as for Donald Trump, what color of dress Bruce Jenner is wearing (wink at John), or how amazed we should be because in the midst of summer it is hot, I really have no words to offer so I will stay mute on those subjects. Instead, I will leave you with these words of hope that may encourage you throughout this day to keep your chins up, your feet from falling, and your lips from being used bitterly:

A new business is open and one of the owner’s friends wants to send him flowers for the occasion. They arrive at the business site and the owner reads the card: “Rest in Peace.” Understandably the owner is angry and calls the florist to complain. After he tells the florist the obvious mistake and how angry he is, the florist replies, “Sir, I’m really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry, you should imagine this. Somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a card saying, ‘Congratulations on your new location.’"

Let's pray!

Dear Lord, please help us today to keep a smile on our face, our tongues in place, and to walk in Your grace. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Wandering Through the Bible