Ephesians 4:15 says to speak the truth in love. What exactly does that mean? When I read this verse; I’m reminded that words are powerful, they carry weight and have the potential to do good or harm to those hearing them. Speaking the truth in love implies we’re to be selective in what we say and how we say it.
The Bible is filled with God’s wisdom including how to speak the truth in love. The book of Proverbs has God’s wisdom oozing out on every page. You’ll be amazed by the amount of Scriptures that pertain to the mouth. It’s not hard to determine the ones we need to apply for ourselves. The instructions given in Proverbs enable us to gain victory over our mouth; the words that flow forth will do good for those that hear them. I’ve selected verses from Proverbs 10 concerning speech.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom. Proverbs 10:31
The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable. Proverbs 10:32
Imagine the blessing we can extend on others when we choose to speak the truth in love. What if the words that flowed from our mouth give people hope? Through our speech, we can share what God’s done for us. That He is no respecter of persons. What He does for one, He will do for another. We can speak words of love, words of encouragement, words of appreciation, and words of prayer.
Psalms 141:3 is a beautiful verse to pray over ourselves. “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
This verse is useful for times when we are tempted to speak our mind. What should be do for times such as this?
Think before uttering one word. Is what we’re about to say the truth or our opinion on a matter? It’s so easy to give an opinion before knowing all the facts.
Wait and give it time – We must never assume we know everything about a given situation. Imagine how embarrassing it would be to speak our mind, only to find out later we were totally wrong! Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “It’s better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and prove it.” A wise person will pray before speaking. Ask God to give the words He wants said. Be assured, the words He gives will do the person good. Time may be required for them to absorb them, but that’s okay. God works in His time and way.
Speak less not more – it says in Proverbs 10:19 that: “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” A multitude of words are not always effective, there are times when less is best. We can let God’s wisdom be our guide on when to stop talking.
The world is a crazy place. People are facing challenges beyond measure. My prayer is that our words will bless those we encounter in our daily lives, that we will speak the truth in love so God’s light will always shine brighter than the darkness around us.