Ephesians 4:29

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Have you ever thought about how your words impact the lives of others? Before you read on I want you to take 10 minutes and reflect on words that have been pivotal in your life, good or bad.

What if these things had never been said to you? Our words have a tremendous ability to heal and bring peace Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” or to hurt and destroy others Proverbs 12:18 “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. This verse is talking about more than just gossip, lying, foul language, and slander; it’s about serving others through your words. At the heart of this verse is the question, “Are you serving or slaying others with your words?”

James says that although the tongue is small it packs a huge punch! Helpful speech has several qualities:

• Gentle

As a culture our words have taken on a distinctive edge, it seems like the pressures of this life grind away at us until the words coming out of us become sharp and dangerous. Yet gentleness in our voice is like a soothing ointment to the cuts of this life, it not only helps us control our outburst, it helps when others blow up at us. Proverbs 15:1 says that a gentle answer turns away wrath. Are my words gentle or harsh?

• Instructive

Words have the ability to instruct and to guide and we need to ask ourselves, “Are my words destructive or instructive?” Somewhere along the way we have come to believe in a God who only says no, yet as you read through His word He not only gives instruction as to why He says no but He also instructs us in what He wants us to be doing. Our God is not a God of NO’s. Many of us shy away from instruction for fear of criticism but helpful speech goes beyond criticizing us and offers a helping hand. Speech can be both constructive and instructive and the bible is not a book of don’t but rather of do. Do you see God’s word as instructive? How about your words are they destructive or instructive?

• Edifying

To edify means to build up and we need to ask ourselves “Is my speech building up or tearing down?” Think back to those times in your life when someone spoke and it was like a breath of fresh air that filled your sails or a firm foundation that braced you up. Our words can be girders that build a bridge to span the impassible rivers of life, or they can be the fire that burns those bridges down. Who are you building up today?

• Other Focused

So many times our speech is delivered to build up but it is not so much other focused but self-focused, and the goal becomes nothing more than a pat on our own back. So the question becomes, “Who am I trying to build up?” Speech is an incredible gift given to us by a loving Father for the purpose of relationships. Have you ever thought of your words as gifts, gifts are meant to be given to others with their needs in mind, how often do we give our words like that? We have to be other focused if we are ever going to know other’s needs, and it’s not just about knowing but about meeting those needs. The question is not are others listening but “Is what I am saying benefitting?” So who are you benefiting by what you are saying?

Who do you need to serve today through your words?

John 12:26

26 Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.

1. Servants follow the Lord

We are often told that we need to be serving but the truth is we all serve, it’s who we serve that we need to figure out. Are you serving Jesus and how do you know? Serving Jesus starts with following Jesus, not getting ahead of Him but following. If we’re really honest with ourselves what we want is for Jesus to follow us around and bless what it is that we have chosen to do with our time and our resources. But that is not Jesus’ command to us today. Today Jesus gives us the challenge, “26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be.” Do you know who you are following?

A simple definition of “Christian” is to be “A Follower of Christ.” In the gospel of Matthew – Jesus is walking by the sea Galilee and He sees Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and he says to them. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The scripture goes on to say that Jesus went along the beach a little further and “He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.” What does following Christ involve? It involves becoming His servant. If you desire to serve Christ, you must first follow Him, because choosing to follow forces us to deal with our greatest opposition to servant hood, our Will. To be a servant of Christ we must first be willing to submit to His will and His direction, personal desires must be surrendered to pursue the desire of the master. Following involves submission that is born out of Trust, Obedience and Risk. We will only let go of control if we really trust that God is in charge. We will only obey Him as we take Him at His Word and walk by faith, which is always required if we are to risk it all for Him.

1. Servants are found where Jesus is working

Service is about working with Jesus, it’s about serving a God you can know. Service means moving beyond self to embrace the Savior, there is no way to become like Jesus without the willingness to serve. Service should always lead to an encounter with Jesus, it’s about a relationship. Religion is a duty, it’s an obligation, a futile attempt to somehow measure up. For so many service is about doing, but for me it’s celebrating what He done and an excited anticipation of what He is going to do. I get to join in and work with Jesus, it’s a team effort -Jesus and me. We are saved to serve, not sit, soak and sour! What are you doing in service to your Lord that will outlive you?

1. Servants will be honored by God

Service may require us to humble ourselves, but it is humility that leads to greatness. There are times when the teachings of Jesus make little sense to our human mind and this is one of those times. Our human nature strives for honor, recognition and achievement. The thinking is that we have to climb the ladder of success to accomplish these things. Jesus says that in order to be great, we must lower ourselves. In order to rise, we must be willing to descend. The only ways that Jesus says that we can actually achieve greatness is to give up the pursuit of self-exaltation. It’s only when we give up the quest for greatness in our own abilities that we find greatness in Christ.

Look at how God has blessed and gifted you and then ask yourself, “If Jesus were given this life of mine, what would He do with it? Where would he go with it?”