The Bible expresses this as a command. To defy and break any command is sin. We, therefore, sin when we speak negatively about others. All commands carry the same weight because the source is God. It is God who said do not kill, steal and commit adultery. It is still God who says do not speak negatively about others. If you break one command you have broken all of them!
Conflicts are all around us. Conflicts among nations. Conflicts among communities. Conflicts within the family. Conflicts between individuals. Conflicts in church. Conflicts at the workplace. Conflicts everywhere. What causes conflicts and quarrels among you?
The good and the best cannot live together. One must go. God in His wisdom allows the good that we are so used to and seriously value, to go. Then God allows the best that we know nothing about to sneak in or surprise us and when we look back we are grateful. Sometimes we lose the good to gain the best!
No one came to his support. They didn’t even stay, he writes that they deserted him. To desert is to disappear without excusing yourself. He found himself alone.
Our attitude towards a wicked person, even a leader must be that of restoration and not embarrassment or destruction of their status. Any other method and means don’t come from God. The question that we will answer next is, does such a wicked leader still speak for God and serve Him?
As we mature we learn to control our bodies. We should also control our bodies when sexual desires kick in. Control your body by refusing to engage in sexually arousing chats and talks. Control your body by disposing of and refusing to consume pornographic materials. Control your body by having dates and meetings with members of the opposite gender in public spaces where you cant be tempted to get intimate. Control your body by selecting movies and music that don’t give you suggestions of sexual nature. Control your body with difficulty at the beginning but over time by God’s grace, you will have managed to control your body in sexual matters. This is the control at which many keep failing.
Prayer gets corrupted when we treat it as a requisition form to get stuff from God. Prayer ceases to be prayer when it becomes an opportunity to hand over a list of needs to God. A relationship where the only communication is making requests and demands will not survive for long. Communication should be an opportunity to interact, appreciate and express concerns, fears, and expectations as we do to our friends.
A boss who creates a toxic environment for the workers is not a believer. Believers were commanded in our text to treat their workers well. The test of faith for believers and their commitment to Christ is in how they treat their workers.
Once it comes out, it’s too late to reverse its effects. No apology will undo the harm. You may be forgiven but the scar will remain in the mind. The best you can do is to keep it in and let it be processed from there. Many relationships lost it because unwholesome talk came out in a moment of anger. Reconciliation was done, but now they must live with the scar. The Bible gives us the best advice on what to do when the unwholesome talk is developing within us. Do not let it come out!