Daily Scripture: Ephesians 4:29 Let no harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them. 30 Don’t cause grief to God’s Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his property until the day of final redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along with all spitefulness. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you.
Reflection Questions
In strife-torn communities across our country and our world, we see what happens as words tear down community and set people against one another. As we move into an election year in 2016, fix firmly in your mind and heart a resolve to speak “only what is useful for building up, as there is need,” in politics as in all other aspects of your life.
Scholar N. T. Wright said, “Your tongue gives you the opportunity to bring God’s grace to people, by what you say and how you say it, and it’s a shame to pass up this chance (verse 29)…You should behave as those on whom God’s Holy Spirit has placed God’s mark. The word Paul uses could refer to the ‘seal’ or official stamp on a document….The mark indicates who it belongs to and what it’s for….People who are enslaved to anger and malice may think they are ‘free’ to ‘be themselves’, but they are in bondage. If we are marked out by the Spirit’s personal presence living in us, think how sad it makes that Spirit if we behave in ways which don’t reflect the life and love of God.”[N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters (Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 56)] Before you forward that e-mail, or post that tart response on a blog, ask, “Does this give grace? Does it build up? Can I picture Jesus sending this?”
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, you fearlessly challenged true evil. But you did it by pointing to truth, not by slandering reputations or sharing juicy tidbits of gossip. Help my political words to reflect you well, and to give grace to those who hear. Amen.
Family Activity
Gather your family in a comfortable setting outside your home (e.g. a mall or restaurant). Invite your family to be loud and talkative while trying to listen to the sounds around them. Then invite them to be quiet and still while listening to the sounds. Talk about and listen to what each person heard each time. Discuss under what circumstances it was easier to listen to the surrounding sounds. Connect this with how we listen to God. How do we best hear God? Is it when we are rushing around, full of activity and constantly talking? Or is it when we pause to be still, read our Bibles, pray and worship? As a family, build some time into your schedules to listening more intentionally to God and one another. Pray, asking God to help you be better listeners.
---------------------
Insights from Rev. Penny Ellwood
Rev. Penny Ellwood is the Campus Pastor at Resurrection Blue Springs.
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV):
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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.Ephesians 4:29 is one of those practical for everyday life verses that we should all commit to memory and teach our children. Years ago there was a book by Florence Littauer called Silver Boxes: The Gift of Encouragement based on Ephesians 4:29. In the book, Littenauer told a little story, which became the basis for the title of her book. [Florence Littenauer, Silver Boxes: The Gift of Encouragement, (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1989), 1-5.] The story was about teaching the meaning of this verse to a group of children during a children’s moment at a church where she was a guest speaker. In this children’s sermon, she spoke to the children about the power of our words and how our words can be used both positively and negatively.
She explained to the children that Paul wrote this verse to the church in Ephesus because he had heard that people were saying unkind things about each other. Even though they were good Christians they were saying bad words and Paul gave them advice about what should come out of our mouths. He advised that we should use our words in ways that build each other up and offer grace.
One little boy latched onto the idea and suggested to Littenauer that we should think of each good word like a building block and keep adding to other’s stacks so they will grow higher and higher. Another little boy said, “And we shouldn’t go around knocking each others blocks down.” This little guy already understood the power of negative words to destroy all the good that has come before.
Littenauer went on to tell the children that our words should be like a present all wrapped up to be given away as a gift. One little girl, captured by this idea, jumped up and announced to the whole congregation, “She means our words should be like little silver boxes with bows on top.” Later, as Littenauer shared this story in another setting, someone came up afterwards and gifted her with a little silver box with a bow on top that she’d found in a shop. Littenauer put it in her briefcase to take home but found that every time she opened her case it reminded her to say words that would edify or extend grace to someone else. She began sharing this story and these little silver boxes began helping others to use their words well.
Over the years I’ve used this story and handed out little silver boxes on a number of occasions to both children and adults to help us remember this verse and the advice from Paul to use our words as a means of grace. To this day when I see a silver box with a bow on top I’m reminded to use words that build others up. As we enter into this election year, when negative words often become part of the common rhetoric, I’d encourage you to place a little silver box somewhere to help you remember to use your words well.
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NIV):
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. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.Ephesians 4:29 is one of those practical for everyday life verses that we should all commit to memory and teach our children. Years ago there was a book by Florence Littauer called Silver Boxes: The Gift of Encouragement based on Ephesians 4:29. In the book, Littenauer told a little story, which became the basis for the title of her book. [Florence Littenauer, Silver Boxes: The Gift of Encouragement, (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1989), 1-5.] The story was about teaching the meaning of this verse to a group of children during a children’s moment at a church where she was a guest speaker. In this children’s sermon, she spoke to the children about the power of our words and how our words can be used both positively and negatively.
She explained to the children that Paul wrote this verse to the church in Ephesus because he had heard that people were saying unkind things about each other. Even though they were good Christians they were saying bad words and Paul gave them advice about what should come out of our mouths. He advised that we should use our words in ways that build each other up and offer grace.
One little boy latched onto the idea and suggested to Littenauer that we should think of each good word like a building block and keep adding to other’s stacks so they will grow higher and higher. Another little boy said, “And we shouldn’t go around knocking each others blocks down.” This little guy already understood the power of negative words to destroy all the good that has come before.
Littenauer went on to tell the children that our words should be like a present all wrapped up to be given away as a gift. One little girl, captured by this idea, jumped up and announced to the whole congregation, “She means our words should be like little silver boxes with bows on top.” Later, as Littenauer shared this story in another setting, someone came up afterwards and gifted her with a little silver box with a bow on top that she’d found in a shop. Littenauer put it in her briefcase to take home but found that every time she opened her case it reminded her to say words that would edify or extend grace to someone else. She began sharing this story and these little silver boxes began helping others to use their words well.
Over the years I’ve used this story and handed out little silver boxes on a number of occasions to both children and adults to help us remember this verse and the advice from Paul to use our words as a means of grace. To this day when I see a silver box with a bow on top I’m reminded to use words that build others up. As we enter into this election year, when negative words often become part of the common rhetoric, I’d encourage you to place a little silver box somewhere to help you remember to use your words well.
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
----------------------------
----------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment