Clean Yourself Up

"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."  Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

When we swear we tend to think, was it really that bad? We should be asking if it was really that good.

Profanity has one purpose, and that is to offend.  Throwing around words that denote filth, blasphemy, degradation, or violence is an act of aggression.  If your speech is seasoned with curse words yet you don’t believe you are trying to antagonize, ask yourself what exactly you are trying to do.  And whatever it is, find a better way to do it.

If your squad influences you to swear, find better friends.  Jesus said if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  (Matthew 5, Matthew 18)  Your coworkers' bad language rubs off on you?  Find a healthier work environment.

Obscenity debases both the speaker and the hearer.  Consciously or not, people think less of a foul-mouthed person.

Rather than being an excuse to continue, the idea that “those words are so common they aren’t even bad anymore,” is actually another reason to knock it off.  If those words are intended to shock or to underscore your point, they’ve been rendered ineffective.  And if you have a need for terms that are demeaning, maybe your subject matter itself is inappropriate. 

You're not likely to use a hundred-dollar bill as a dustpan, or take a luxury sedan off road mud bogging, so don't waste the gift of speech on abusive words.  Find a more sophisticated, more intelligent way to express your thoughts.

"But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken."  Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

What will you have to say then?  Make this your prayer:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 

Be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer."  Psalm 19:14 (NAS)