Even after I became a Christian, I enjoyed listening and laughing to this kind of humor simply because I thought it as funny. I also had some of these jokes and stories up my sleeve, ready to be rolled down when the opportunity presented itself. I also used some expressions easily thrown about in the office, which seemed harmless to me, but were actually cuss words.
Then in one particular meeting, my Christian friend took up Ephesians 4:29, my first encounter with the passage. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths…” to illustrate his resolve on the matter this friend of mine shared that he refuses to join in whenever his male colleagues exchange lewd jokes and that he never laughs at any of them.
I was stunned. Here was a man who kept his mind and mouth free from indecent talk, while here I was, a woman actively contributing to the unwholesome discussions going around in our office. I was so ashamed by the revelation that I resolved never to engage in or enjoy such talks from them on. By the ways, unwholesome talk does not only include lewd jokes, but also gossip, swearing and useless expressions.
But Ephesians 4:29 doesn’t end there. Inversely, we are also told that we should say only the things that will bless other people, such as words of comfort, encouragement, or appreciation. “… but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit whose who listen.”
The way this verse has changed me has been a wonderful, continuing journey. To this day, I try as best as I could to live out this second part of the verse (as this doesn’t come naturally to me) And God continually convicts me If my conversations don’t please Him. More so, the verse has not only changed my attitude, it has also changed people around me -- or at least it seems so.
Talk about good sense! :)
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