Jump Start # 3776
Proverbs 4:24 “Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you.”
Have you noticed the language of public officials. Cursing is in. Speech after speech is no longer filtered. Headlines of leading publications contain offending and curse words. In live interviews, from sports to politics, cursing is accepted. And, all of this has an impact upon us, the people of God.
Here are some thoughts:
First, the numerous use of cursing numbs us and before long we hardly recognize it. We get use to it and that is not good. The shock factor leaves us. As in the days of Jeremiah, the people could not even blush. The embarrassment factor no longer worked.
And, when all of this takes place, it is just a step from us to begin using those words. We hear it, we hear it, we hear it, and then, one day, we say it. We say it when we are angry. We say it when a terrible crisis comes upon us. We say it when we don’t know what else to say.
Second, with this cussing culture around us, it influences our children. Saying wrong words doesn’t mean that you are tougher than someone else. If anything, it illustrates a very limited vocabulary. It also shows that one follows the pack. Everyone else says those words, so I can. Don’t do what everyone else does.
Your words are a window into your soul and your heart. Cursing doesn’t make a person look better. Filling your heart with the goodness of God will help you in knowing what to say. The Colossians were told to let the word of Christ richly dwell within you. The Philippians were told to let your mind dwell upon the things that are pure, right and good. Movies laced with cursing will not help you in your thoughts nor words. Hanging around cusses, won’t help you speak words fit for edification.
Parents may need to get safeguards that filter the language of movies and TV. Our cars need filters. Our water is filtered. Why shouldn’t we get filters for our ears and hearts?
Third, it doesn’t take very long for people at school and the work place to recognize that you don’t talk the way that they talk. You don’t cuss. You don’t talk with a potty mouth. You don’t gossip. You don’t tell lies. Without preaching, you are preaching. You light shines by the selection of words that you use. Those tha cuss won’t like that, nor you. But, there will be some who admire you. There will be some who gravitate towards you and trust you, simply because you don’t talk the way everyone does.
Third, cussing is a choice. One can come from a home of cussing, and yet, grow up and speak words that encourage, uplift and help others. Sometimes you have to raise the windows of your heart and air out a bit to get all the smelly cussing out of your mind, but surrounding yourself with those that honor the Lord, will make all the difference.
Our verse today, one of many from Proverbs about the subject of talking and speech, reminds us that our words are a choice. “Put away from you,” tells us that a person could do that. “I can’t help it,” really is an excuse for someone who doesn’t want to change. Put away…put off…common Biblical reminders of the choices we have in our lives. Our words are one of those choices.
James helps us with the principle of being slow to speak and quick to hear. We have one mouth and two ears. That ought to tell us that we need to be listening more than we do talking. And, words do not have to be cuss words to be hurtful, unkind, mean and out of place. Gossip does that. There may not be a single cuss word in the gossip conversation, but the unloving and cruel things said between two people about someone else is wrong. It is WRONG. And, sadly, churches tolerate it. If a brother set up a grill to sell hotdogs in the church building on a Sunday morning, people would scream in righteous protest. However, get folks gossiping in a pew before services begins, and people know it, but they look the other way.
It’s a cussing world that we live in these days. Our homes and our worship houses ought to be an oasis of calm, peace and righteousness. A sanctuary of hope is what our homes and church buildings need to be. Now, if a neighbor came over and started cussing repeatedly, you’d politely tell him to not talk that way. If he continued, you’d show him the door. However, if instead of a neighbor, it’s a sitcom on TV, we excuse the cussing and continue on watching. Maybe it’s time we helped our TVs out by finding the on/off switch and then do something better.
Roger