Gossip is something that all of us girls struggle with. Some of us maybe more than others. Our speech is something that we really have to keep a handle on. Besides gossip, I often find that girls are prone to simply talk about meaningless things. Recently I was reading on a christian girl forum and some girls were talking about how they wouldn't date a guy if he wasn't between a certain height. My first thought after reading that was "why does it matter?" If God sends you the right guy, are you not going to marry him because he is too tall? My other thought was how immature and and very...ungodly like it sounded. I'm not saying that whoever started and replied to that forum thread was a horrible person! But I do think that when you have your priorities straight and God is the number one focus of your life, those things don't really matter. I didn't see Christ through that conversation. The Bible clearly states that meaningless talk is a sin and not something to be proud of.
1 Timothy 1:5-6 (New International Version)
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.
You can either have a pure heart and sincere faith, or you can turn to that meaningless talk. Obviously those things do not all go together. Is Christ being put to shame and trampled because of your unruly tongue that indulges in meaningless talk? Or are you lifting Him up and bringing glory to Him with your mouth?
Romans 1:28-30a (New International Version)
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers...
People with a depraved mind are gossips and slanderers. Does that sound like a child of God to you? My life goal is not to have a depraved mind. And quite honestly, I highly doubt anyone is striving after having that. But according to those verses, gossips and slanderers are fruits of a depraved mind. So what does that say about you? What does that say about your mind and character?
Titus 2:9-10 (New International Version)
Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
That verse isn't directly talking about meaningless talk and chatter but it does show us something about how we are to act in our speech and our life. Paul was telling slaves to prove themselves as hardworking and trustworthy so that their masters would see Christ through them and that their behavior would hopefully lead them to the Lord. Although none of us are slaves, we should also present our self to others in the same way so that our life will be a witness to someone! When we spread slander and gratify our sinful desires with meaningless talk, we are not respected and are not attractive to unbelievers. Our life should be beautiful and attractive to the lost so that they will wonder what it is that makes us different from the rest of the world and come to a saving realization of Christ.
Proverbs 12:18 (New International Version)
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
In order to get a handle on the bad habit of meaningless talk, you have to make a serious effort to do so. I am a big talker, so the thing that helped me get a little bit more control over my tongue was to step back and not talk. I still talk with my friends and such but I try not to just talk about whatever pops into my head. It is also great to get some note cards and write bible verses that encourage and remind you to watch your tongue. One verse that helped me get a handle on my tongue was 1 Peter 3:4 which says, "a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight." I want to be of great worth in God's sight, and a quiet spirit is one of the things I need to master!
So tell me your thoughts! What do you do to combat the temptation of meaningless talk? What are some things that help you?
Your Sister in Christ,
Jessica
1 comment:
Hey thanks sooo much for sharing - definitely what I needed to hear! Today I felt really convicted about my speech; I sounded just like the other girls in my history class who were complaining about history! =S
A good way of controlling your tongue is to spend lots and lots of time with the Lord. That way, you'll hear His voice and be willing to obey Him when He says, 'Don't say it.' It's working for me!
xox
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