Tweaking Our Speaking

I’ve been wondering lately if we don’t try to make ourselves feel better with some “vocabulary tweaks.” Is there any chance that we’ve turned things that are not spiritual at all into “spiritually sounding” things by using certain words and phrases.

For example:

Am I really concerned about being a good steward, or am I just a tight-fisted miser?

Am I a faithful Christian, or am I merely a regular worship attender?

Am I truly zealous for the Lord, or am I merely a workaholic?

Does my life exhibit humility and holiness, or am I proud of my rule-keeping?

Am I really concerned about “contend(ing) for the faith” (Jude 3), or am I really just contentious about my opinions and desires?

Am I really a soul winner, or merely a scorekeeper?

Am I interested in the growth of the kingdom, or am I merely interested in swelling my home congregation?

Am I really interested in “…the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3), or is there peace only when things are going the way I want them to go?

Do I kid myself into thinking that I am a fisher of men, when, in reality, I am only a keeper of the aquarium?

Do I preach and teach with boldness, or am I just arrogant and obnoxious by nature?

Have I equated sound with negative?

Given enough time and thought, there are probably many others that I could mention, but these are just a few that come to mind. Maybe you could make your own list.

Maybe we all need to look at whatever list we come up with and see if we, indeed, are living up to this Divine directive:

Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God…

(1 Peter 4:11, NASU)

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