Kingdom Utterances
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.” (Galatians 5:31-32)
My last two blogs discussed being the light for others and to share the gifts God has given you. Today’s topic will be related to those two, but from a different angle. God often reveals topics to me in the strangest of ways. A piece of seaweed blowing into the opening of a crab hole on the beach. A chance comment overheard while standing in line at the grocery store. Or as in today’s example, a FaceBook post I read yesterday, that on the surface may seem innocent enough.
I’m sure most of us would agree that the world is in some state of chaos. People are at each other’s throats over race, governmental mandates, religious attacks, gender issues, police brutality, etc. Anything and everything seems to get turned into a cause, which divides people, for or against. It’s happening not just in the secular world; churches are feeling the pressure as well.
Our marriage enrichment class (Rooted In Christ) had a meeting Sunday night, studying Ephesians 4 and applying it to marriage and relationships. Both scriptures above were discussed during the evening. This morning I ran across a post on FaceBook stating, “Did anyone else catch the salute to WW2 veterans last night, it started after the 10 pm news? Why so late! Grrrr! Nice of them to pay tribute to veterans (sarcasm) at a time when the school age kids won’t see it.”
At first glance, the statement appears innocent enough. The poster may have felt they were coming to the “defense” of WW2 veterans. This person may have a relative who was a WW2 veteran and have school age children they would have wanted to have seen this salute, maybe aired after the 6 pm news. This post was on a military FaceBook group page. So, one could assume such a post might incense some of the readers, of course siding with the poster. Oh, I saw the post because I belong to the group by virtue of my being a veteran, though not of WW2. I retired from the Air Force in 1994.
Here’s the problem. Unless the station manager of the station that aired the salute was also a member of the military page, nobody reading the person’s post was in a position to do anything about it. So why post anything on the page? Call the station and discuss your concerns about the timing of the salute, offering reasons you feel that way. Part of the problem today is some people grumble to everyone but the person(s) who could actually do something to correct the problem or at least discuss the reasons the matter went the way it did. They air it out on FaceBook.
Was posting on FaceBook necessary for edification? Did the comments impart grace on the readers? Again, the poster may have had a relative identified on the salute, that the poster would have wanted their children to see but couldn’t because of the timing. Though the feelings may have been understandable, Scriptures tell us to hold our tongue, unless it is something constructive to contribute, to be kind and tenderhearted. I don’t know the poster or whether the person is a believer. I just use this as an example of how easy it is to be led astray. Choose your words wisely, pick your battles and battlegrounds carefully. Let the Holy Spirit guide your heart. Always try to lead a Christ-centered life.
A side note. I saw the post yesterday and worked on this throughout the day. Today I read my morning emails before editing and posting this blog. Greg Laurie’s Daily Devo post was titled “Mouth Control,” using James 1:19 as the basis (“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”) That may not directly apply to the post I read, but comes closer to why we need to control our tongue when you add the very next verse: “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” It bears repeating, always try to lead a Christ-centered life!
Have a Blessed week!