Why is it connecting with someone on something negative is easier than connecting with something positive? We've all done it. We find a common misery and all of a sudden we have (what appears to be) a blossoming conversation.
I have discovered friendships that were linked on negative conversation. I started realizing every time we talked it was on something we both disagreed with, and that was our friendship. We had a common dislike, and that would end up being the topic of conversation. I would leave those conversations with guilt and remorse. I never left feeling uplifted, like I had uplifted someone, or like anything had been accomplished. (Now I think it's fine to discuss issues of the heart! I know for me, I explode if I don't. I'm just realizing, though, there is an uplifting way to go about doing that.) As I read Ephesians 4:29, three words stuck out to me- corrupt, good, and edifying. Corrupt This is the adjective God used to describe the communication we should not have. Corrupt means rotten, worthless, bad. Who likes rotten anything? Not me! Bad is well clearly bad. But then to think about the fact it is worthless. It has no worth. It's not valuable. Which leads me to good. Good The greek word agathos means, well, good, but the Stongs Concordance also throws in the word benefit. Ok so let's go back to corrupt communication- it's worthless. But we should communicate in a way that is good, beneficial. Edifying The Strongs explains this to be a structure(figuratively), confirmation. So our conversation should lift others up. It should provide assurance for those who hear. The end of this verse finishes with "...that it may minister grace unto the hearers." The verses that follow speak of letting bitterness, wrath, anger, clamouring, and evil speech go and to be kind and tender hearted to one another. I just wonder if we let all that bitterness go and were tender hearted to each other how our conversation would change? God, You know very well how I struggle with this. It's so easy to jump on the negative Nancy bandwagon. God help me to have conversations that lift others up in You. God help me to let all bitterness and negativity go. Help me please to turn my eyes, ears, and mouth to You. God I pray people will see and hear You in me.
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Saved by God's amazing grace and living this divinely put together puzzle of a beautiful life He so graciously blessed. Archives
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