Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. — Ephesians 5:4

There are some people who seem to enjoy hearing themselves talk. It seems that every time they open their mouths the words just continuously come out without end. The frustrating part is that the words that come out of their mouths often seem to have no meaning or purpose.

God created language to allow us a means to interact with one another. It’s a special and unique gift that we have. It’s amazing how dozens of languages exist around the world and we still find ways to communicate and work together. Even though we find ways to work together, we still find those situations where language is used for a negative purpose.

People use words to be hurtful, disrespect, torture, and so many other purposes. The words that we use show what is in our hearts. It shows our true nature and unfortunately, the words that we use can many times be a negative reflection of our God.

Paul writes a warning in Ephesians here with the words “foolish talking.” The idea is that words that are senseless, stupid, and foolish shouldn’t be used. Christians should aim the words of our conversations to be sincere and sensible. In all that we say, we should remember the example of Jesus and express ourselves in a similar manner.

Sometimes we can be so quick to say harsh words. We can be quick to say hurtful, disrespectful, and demeaning things to others. While the world around us may act and be this way, we are called to be different. As Matthew 12:36 reminds us, we will be held accountable for all that we say one day. Would the words that we use classify as foolish talk or are they edifying our Lord? We must remember to be different than the world with the words that we use.

Jared Dyson