Perfect Speech
Would you like to never say anything wrong again?
No, seriously – would you like to never say anything out of turn again? Would you like to never sin or fall short of righteousness in your speech again? Would you like to never make a mistake in your relationships with God, others, or yourself ever again by way of words? Would you like to go the rest of your life saying everything 100% correctly?
Think about how much nicer life would be if that were true! You’d never have to worry about unintentionally hurting someone through what you would say. You’d never have to worry about falling short in your conversation with God (though, if you’re a Christian, you shouldn’t worry about that anyway – Romans 8:26-27). You’d never have to worry about not having the right thing to say in literally any situation. You’d never have to worry about what to say when initiating a conversation about the Gospel, and one of the biggest and most common obstacles to evangelism would be eradicated immediately. Life and relationships get a lot easier if the possibility of incorrect speech is taken out.
Not only can that possibility be taken out, but it can be taken out with a one-step solution.
I know, it sounds impossible. There’s not one solution that can make anyone be a perfect person for the rest of his or her life. There’s almost a whole chapter of the New Testament (James 3:1-12) dedicated to how impossibly hard it is not to stumble in one’s speech, and it even says in that chapter that if one can control his or her tongue, he or she can control every aspect of righteousness (v 2). How can anyone achieve perfection in this?
What if I told you the one-step solution to perfect speech has been sitting in the New Testament for 2000 years?
Ephesians 4:15 – “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.”
Can you think of a situation where this solution wouldn’t work? I can’t, and I’ll go out on a limb and say the New Testament doesn’t present one, either.
Obviously, it’s going to take more than one day to implement this solution perfectly. Training the tongue involves training the mind and the heart as well, and all three take time. I’m still in the training phase myself and expect to be for some time. If you’re looking to build perfect speech, though, it really is just a one-step process. Start taking that one step every day, speaking the truth in love, and you’ll be amazed at what God can do through you.
“‘You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.’” ~ Matthew 5:13
“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” ~ Colossians 4:6
AUTHOR: Luke Tatum
