Corrupt Communication

Ion Andreescu - O portocală desfăcută / Portocală

Isn’t than an inviting painting?  Refreshing, tasty and lovely to look at. In our Sunday School classroom is a very different orange.  It was rather old when it was brought to class and used as an example for one of our lessons in Ephesians.  The user of corrupt communication is shoving that rotten fruit right into their listener/reader:

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29 KJV)

A dear friend posted corrupt communication on her Facebook status yesterday. She was aware of the Facebook Note I posted about the time I posted “Expletives Deleted.” That post followed a series of posts about inappropriate language, and it contains my scriptural reasons for not wanting to read inappropriate language.  The Note on my site explained that using such language would result in defriending.  I mentioned this to my friend after her post and she responded with “Don’t read it.”  I will follow her direction, and miss her other input.

You see, I agree with Matthew:

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. … But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. [Matthew 15:15, 18 KJV]

I also agree with Paul:

Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33 KJV)

By watching what goes into my mind, I put an early filter on what will come out, being certain it comes from my heart and that it reflects what I believe and what I want others to know about me.  It should set the stage for what people think about me, and putting God first (I pray!) should be part of that information.  I do not wish to cram corrupt communication at others.

That orange in our class has become much more corrupted now!  It stands as a very good example of corrupt communication.  It will help us remember other good verses of prayer:

Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. (Psalms 141:3 KJV)

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14 KJV)