Every Careless Word
Matthew 12:36-37
“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
In short: we need to be careful what we say because God will judge us by the things we say.
We would expect Jesus to condemn profane or vile uses of the tongue, but idle words?
What are idle words? Very simply put, are those words that we say without concern for their impact upon others:
• The words we use in venting our anger.
• The words we use when we do not accept responsibility for our own actions.
• The words we say out of jealously or envy.
• The words we use just to inflict hurt upon another person.
And these words relate to:
• The things we say to friends and family.
• Those things we say in church when certain groups come together.
• Those things we say to give a subtle hint of criticism of another person.
• And yes, gossip!
We need to be aware that God will judge us for those things we say casually, especially if those words bring hurt to another person. Remember that God looks upon the heart and as Matthew 15:17-20 tells us:
“Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”
So we see that those careless words are what our heart truly feels. And this is the very thing that Jesus was speaking about in verses 36-37 of chapter 12 when he was speaking against the Pharisees, that the words of their mouths’ showed the true nature of their heart.
An old proverb goes like this: “It is better to remain quiet and be thought a fool then to speak out and remove all doubt.”
One of the worst things that we can do is to say something hurtful to another person and than say “I was just kidding.” Or “Can’t you take a joke?”
As the Bible tells us, no you were no kidding, because that was what your heart was truly feeling. And no I can’t take a joke, because to me it was not funny. We need to think carefully about what we are about to say, because in venting your thoughts you may cause another person great pain.
Every Careless Word; be careful because they can bring hurt.
Jude 1:9 tells us that even God’s angels reframe from saying careless words against others.
“Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”
So what makes us believe that we can say anything we want and not receive judgment for our actions.
Proverbs 17:28 puts a clear picture on what we should do when we feel like uttering a casual comment about another person:
“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”
This scripture encourages us to speak less, rather than saying something offensive.
I have found that it is best to think before you speak. As one of my teachers used to say: “Put brain in gear before opening mouth.”
So think before you utter those careless words:
• T – is it Thoughtful?
• H – is it Helpful?
• I – is it inspiring?
• N – is it necessary?
• K – is it kind?
Sometimes we get so caught up in only thinking of ourselves that we do not give concern to the feelings of others. And in doing this we injure another person by what we say because no thought about them were put into what you said.
There is a saying that goes: “Blessed are they who have nothing to say and cannot be persuaded to say it.” And it means that although we may have a thought in our mind about something or someone, we reframe from saying it. In our speech we sometimes believe that what we say is well-meaning, but who is it well-meaning to?
Proverbs 10:19 tells us:
“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
The NIV puts it this way:
“When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”
James 1:19 also tells us:
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:”
If we follow these scriptures we will be in less danger of saying something offensive. As proverbs is warning us to think before we speak and use our words very carefully. And James says that if we are putting more effort into listening, then it becomes hard for us to speak much!
Let us look at some words of importance:
• The six most important words: “I admit I made a mistake.”
• The five most important words: “You did a good job.”
• The four most important words: “What is your opinion?”
• The three most important words: “If you please.”
• The two most important words: “Thank you.”
• The one most important word: “We.”
• The least important word: “I”
So when we give thought to the other person we are less likely to speak an evil word against them or toward them.
Again in James 3:2 he cautions us about the careless words that flow from our mouths. Here he speaks of being self-controlled in our speech.
“For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”
James is telling us that we will stumble in many areas because we have not yet reached perfection, but the person who has learned self-control of the tongue has reached a level of perfection because they are now able to restrain the member of the body that proves the most resistant to correction. The tongue resists control more than any other area of our behavior.
Every careless word; pours judgment upon your head. (Tell Bruce Almighty scene)
As Christians, we should only be speaking words that uplift and edify each other, words of encouragement that glorify God. Because Ephesians 4:29 tells us:
“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.”
And Proverbs 15:4 in the NIV says this:
“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Do you need to speak less?
Do you nee to be more careful about the kind of humor you use?
Do you need to be more considerate to others with the things you say?
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you figure out if your words build up or tear down others.
