Friday, December 29, 2017

Apt Communication

UV 2869/10000 Apt Communication
Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks
Ephesians 5 v 4
James describes the human tongue as the governor of our bodies, our very lives as it were. But it becomes an unruly evil or an undisciplined source of vice and misery if it is not submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible for the natural man to tame or discipline the tongue. Jesus described human tongues as the forked tongues of serpents that can wag or move in any direction. The secret of appropriate use of the tongue is storing the treasures of the wisdom and goodness of the Lord in our hearts for out of the overflow from the heart of man do words flow off the tongue.
A disciple or follower of Jesus got to discipline his tongue. One of the ways of doing so is to use the tongue to continually thank and praise the Lord. When we do so, our thought process gets transformed and whatever we speak will be wholesome and helpful not harmful to our listeners. A good and godly communicator speaks or communicates and converses in such a way that the words are sharp and accurate as arrows to penetrate hearts and minds as well as soft as living water to fill the listeners with hope and belief.
No corrupt communication or coarse joking or expletives or gossip should come from the mouths of the followers of Jesus. A prudent person conceals his knowledge and uses it aptly while fools advertise their folly, pride and malice. A fool cuts off his own head with his tongue. The more we speak without adequate thought to back up our words, the more likely we are to err or say something foolish or inappropriate. The golden rule of communication is hinted in the book of Proverbs:
“An apt word is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Contrary to popular wisdom, silence is silver and apt speech is golden. Hence, our default state should be silence and we should forge the golden words we need to speak in the furnace of silver. Our hearts and minds burn when we restrain our tongues from speaking. But during this burning silence, the apt word for the apt occasion or situation is framed and formed. We need to send the words we speak through several filters and tests of purity before we utter it for once we speak it, it is difficult or impossible to recall it or deny it.
Prateep V Philip

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for sharing, this is very useful during the times of Social ( Media ) revolution, every one has something
    to say, our keyboard ( qwerty ) has become our second tongue. ( forked tongue ).
    Naveen

    ReplyDelete