NEW LIFE: WHAT YOU SAY? WATCH YOUR MOUTH!

²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.  Eph. 4:28-30

Remeber the childhood game Red Light, Green Light, where the goal was to make it to the caller.   That you had to listen and know when to go, and when to stop........   Paul is talking about how we need to stop certain things once we accept Christ.   Paul begins this section of scripture of drawing out attention to what happens when a life has changed...and what that should actually look like.   He says first if you are a thief...then in the new life you are to not just stop stealing, but then take those same hands and do good with them.  This is the beginning of a series of behaviors that will need to change when one has proclaimed CHRIST as LORD of their lives.  

So it was asked of us this weekend by J.J. would it be better if after we've accepted Christ, that everyone got a piece of duck-tape placed on their mouths, because Paul's next words say....Don't use foul or abusive language, and if we are ALL HONEST....WE FAIL GREATLY IN THIS!  I'm not talking about those not in CHRIST, I'm talking about those that have TOTALLY confused SCRIPTURE with the freedoms expressed in the U.S. Constitution.   I don't need your justifications......your senseless rationalizations......the FACT IS GOD, HIS SPIRIT is grieved GREATLY when our talk tears down the VERY PEOPLE, HIS CREATIONS.....the VERY ONES THAT WERE MADE IN HIS IMAGE. 

IF YOU CALL YOURSELF a CHRISTIAN, A BELIEVER, a FOLLOWER of CHRIST and you have politically charged posts, comments, conversations, dirty jokes, talking about people, make no mistake about it......if it DOESN'T BUILD UP, you probably need to SHUT UP ( I borrowed this......) and I'm not looking into the Constitution for this....I'm looking at verse 29 of the WORD OF GOD that says  " LET EVERYTHING YOU SAY BE GOOD & HELPFUL that build up those that hear you!"  WHY?  Because you have been identified as ONE OF HIS OWN, and remember you represent Him......never do we read or see where JESUS took HIS AUTHORITY to malign the very creations HE LOVED. 

While it was suggested that a piece of DUCK TAPE be given and used....I almost think in today's technological age, that we need to have mittens on our hands too....to challenge us in the area of posting and texting....so it would force is to reconsider our posts, tweets....but still leave our hands free to serve so that we'd actually show people how CHRIST's lives through us, through how we physically show CHRIST.  Instead of expressing you views and opinions, try showing them the love of CHRIST through how you serve them today.  LGLP