Be Careful Of What You Say

TITUS 3:1-8

Key Verse:
"To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men" (Titus 3:2).

One of the most cherished human rights is "freedom of expression" - having the liberty to express oneself without fear. Many however misjudge this freedom to think that it includes the liberty to malign, falsely accuse and slander others. This has caused many conflicts that have created bitter enmity among many. Most common in the wrong use of this freedom is the way most people talk about the government and people in position of authority. Many times, people who criticize do not have the correct fact on the things they comment about, but pick up rumours and hear- say. Unfortunately, many so-called Christians indulge in this uncharitable behaviour as well. Our text today spells out the expected conduct of the believer. We are not to be uncharitable in the way we use our words. The Bible forbids us from speaking evil of anyone, regardless of who the person is. Christians are expected to show forth good examples for others to follow in the society. They must give due respect and honour to those in authority. Our responsibility as believers is to say nothing ill about them, whether they do well or not. Rather, the Scripture enjoins us to pray for them and obey them in all they instruct us to do as long as it does not conflict with our Christian faith. Apart from those in authority, we should not speak evil of anyone at all. Many times, Christians forget that they were once graceless and had lived the same way sinners do. It is the grace of God in a Christian's life that makes him different from a sinner. In fact, some believers would have been worse off! Instead of being critical of others, we should pray for them and more importantly, be careful to maintain good works for all to see. Nothing is as challenging and convincing as a manifestly exemplary life. We can model through our lifestyle what we expect from others.

Thought for the day: Do good, talk good, see good and expect good!