Speak with Respect

Speak with Respect

“Likewise urge young men to be … sound in speech which is beyond reproach …” Titus 2:6a & 8a

Yesterday I shared some thoughts that came from Pastor Jason’s message Sunday. As I have pondered some things he shared in his message, and looking at the Titus 2 passage that I shared yesterday, here are some additional thoughts to ponder.

We’ve really become very sloppy in our speech, and we have in many cases become very disrespectful. I am probably going to tick someone off, but at least give me a listen before you write me off.

1. Where have all the “please” and “thank-you’s” gone? Notice how few people of all ages use those words these days? Dr. Richard Allen Farmer shared on Labor Day that we teach our little kids to use those “magic words” – but when we get to be seniors – what happens to the “magic words?” We need to get back to using these two powerful words.
   
2. We have become very sloppy in the words we use. Each generation has their own slang and lingo, but I think if we want to have “sound speech which is above reproach,” we need to think about how we speak and think about the words we use. Notice how often we use “you guys” in conversation vs. addressing people using their names? What would happen if we went back to using “yes, sir” or “no, ma’am when speaking with people that are 10 to 20 years older than us?
   
   
3. I am getting more and more frustrated at how we have felt the need to dumb down out speech to supposedly reach people who come to our churches? Why do we feel that in order to be effective communicators that we need to use words like “crap” and “suck?” Do people in the pew use those words when communicating to their superiors at work? Paul was certainly down in the trenches with people and yet I never have read that he used gross language to communicate truth? I realize that Jesus was pretty poignant in his speech, but if he talked trash to people, don’t you think one of the gospel writers would have recorded that for us?
   
   
4. Our words can come back to bite us. Two illustrations come to my mind. We had friends who used vulgar speech around their three year old son. It was not uncommon for them to use the “s” and “f” words. One day Mom and son were in the grocery store and a lady in the aisle dropped a jar of spaghetti sauce on the floor. Our friend’s son looked at the lady and said, “S**t lady, you broke the jar.” The lady almost dropped her teeth to hear this little toddler speak profanity.

The other story occurred in the nursery of the church where we served. Jan was working in the nursery and the other worker was changing a baby. As the worker opened the door of the changing table, all the diapers fell out. Our daughter’s friend looked over at the worker and said, “S**t – all the diapers fell out!” The worker looked at Jan and said, “Well obviously she learned that at home!”

As men, we can be great role models to younger men by being “sound in speech which is beyond reproach.” Lord, help me to be more mindful of my speech. – Bill Welte is President and CEO of America’s Keswick

 GPS – God’s Positioning System: Mark 1 & Luke 3; Psalm 82; Proverbs 28

Compass Pointers: There will no longer be so many pleasant things to look at if responsible people do not do something about the unpleasant ones. Madeleine L'Engle

Navigation Rules to Memorize: Level 1: John 12:24-25; Level 2: John 12:24-27

Anchored to the Rock: Time spent with God in the secret place is never the cause of spiritual inefficiency. Maurice Roberts