Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Use your words to build people up!
When you talk to someone about someone else in a negative way, about something that irritates you or disgusts you or that you think they shouldn’t be doing, those words are “unwholesome words”. Your gossip “grieves the Holy Spirit of God”. Today’s passage tells us what kind of words are wholesome and pleasing to God.
When you’re talking about someone, ask yourself: a) Will my words build up the person (“good for edification”)? b) Does the person I’m talking to need to know this? c) Will my words give grace to the person who hears them? d) Do my words flow from bitterness or anger? e) Are my words kind to the person I’m talking about? f) Am I being tenderhearted in saying this? and g) Have I forgiven the person I’m talking about for the ways they have offended me?
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