Corrupt Talk Leads To Irresponsible Hearing

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up,

as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29

We live in a society inundated by talk. At their best, words express our worship of the One who gave us the ability to think, feel, and speak. At their worst, words spew out the abundance of sin in the heart to destroy. At every point in between, words matter.

Talking requires discernment; so does listening. And listening responsibly has become a challenge in a culture that values talk-for-talk's-sake as entertainment. How often this kind of talk pushes the boundaries of decency and restraint for the payoff of audience reaction!

How often we reward insensible talk with the approval of our time and attention. When we listen with irresponsible ears, we encourage the bar of civility to fall lower and lower. We also dull our own minds and hearts so that what used to shock us has no effect.

Let's face it—it's easy to listen a little too long, to laugh when we shouldn't, to push the boundaries ourselves in order to get a reaction. But what comes easily for the flesh isn't God's standard for our talk.

Whether we speak or listen, we are responsible before God for our words. His Son died to pay for our slander, gossip, lewd innuendos, and off-color jokes. By His grace, we speak—and listen—for his glory.