From: Today God Is First by Os Hillman
November 27, 2018
"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" (Ephesians 4:29-30).
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November 27, 2018
"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" (Ephesians 4:29-30).
...
The way you interact with the people around you can often determine whether you will be the leaven for Christ that He desires you to be or be viewed as one of the multitudes. Two defining situations involve joke-telling and discussions about people ranging from employees and bosses at work to neighbors, to fellow congregants at church--or perhaps, even the pastor .
If we laugh at off-color jokes we give permission to the person telling the joke that it is OK to continue this activity in your presence. If we fail to laugh, we discourage this behavior.
When someone is about to tell a joke in my presence, I stop them and ask, "Is this a clean joke? If not, I don't want to hear it."
This will define future situations with that person and it will communicate to others that off color humor is not amusing to you. You might become known as the religious kook in your office or neighborhood, but that is OK.
The other situation that can define you is how your talk about management in front of other employees, about neighbors, or about people with whom you worship. It can easily become a "we" versus "them" culture if you do not evidence respect to everyone around you.
If this happens you violate Paul's command to honor those who employ you. "Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (Titus 2:9-10).
Beyond the work place, your communication about those whose lives touch yours evidences your concern for the lost when you allow your life to be "a living epistle, read of all men." You, Believer, must recognize that you may be the only Bible those outside the realm of faith may ever read.
"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman" (Psalm 15:1-3).
Remember, you are always a witness at work, at home, at church -- wherever you are -- whether you use words or not.
If we laugh at off-color jokes we give permission to the person telling the joke that it is OK to continue this activity in your presence. If we fail to laugh, we discourage this behavior.
When someone is about to tell a joke in my presence, I stop them and ask, "Is this a clean joke? If not, I don't want to hear it."
This will define future situations with that person and it will communicate to others that off color humor is not amusing to you. You might become known as the religious kook in your office or neighborhood, but that is OK.
The other situation that can define you is how your talk about management in front of other employees, about neighbors, or about people with whom you worship. It can easily become a "we" versus "them" culture if you do not evidence respect to everyone around you.
If this happens you violate Paul's command to honor those who employ you. "Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive" (Titus 2:9-10).
Beyond the work place, your communication about those whose lives touch yours evidences your concern for the lost when you allow your life to be "a living epistle, read of all men." You, Believer, must recognize that you may be the only Bible those outside the realm of faith may ever read.
"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman" (Psalm 15:1-3).
Remember, you are always a witness at work, at home, at church -- wherever you are -- whether you use words or not.
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