Verse of the Day - Ephesians 4:29

"Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear."
Ephesians 4:29, NRSV

This is another one of those passages that, at a glance, may seem straightforward but is actually so ambiguous that Christians easily use it to justify doing the opposite. What counts as "evil" talk? Is it simply anything that tears people down instead of building them up? What counts as tearing people down? Is it just about the way they feel, like when we hurt someone's feelings? What if they're offended when we tell them the truth about something? What if our affectionate words still cause them emotional pain? How do we know when our words are building someone up? What about when our words seem harsh, at first, but end up being beneficial?

So many of the possible answers to these questions are subjective. Because of that, it's easy to make the answers out to be whatever we want them to be. More than anything else, these are questions that should be revisited continually as often as we pursue Christ-likeness. Additionally, we shouldn't breeze over the fact that the writer puts "as there is need" and "grace to those who hear." Like the other questions, we can ask, "When is their need” and, "Who will hear?" Need is subjective, and who hears is contextual.

We should continually challenge ourselves with these questions and remember that scripture also says: be quick to listen and slow to speak.