The Good Word

The Good Word

 

Back in the day nursing school was rough. Nursing instructors were rougher. Whatever number our class started with in the fall of 1992, there were a lot less of us by the time we graduated in 1994. After each test we would gather by the nursing office door to see who was still in the program.

There was a little stress involved in becoming a Florence Nightingale wannabe.

I remember, right before graduating, a fellow student telling me she couldn’t wait to vent her frustration to our instructors over all they put us through.

I reminded her that she might want their letters of recommendation before she did so.

It does feel good to vent – to release all those pent up feelings, accusations, hurts, frustrations – whatever - at any available culprits or victims – depending on who is receiving the venting. But I wonder does it really help?

Words are powerful. Jesus said we would be responsible – have to give an account - for every careless word spoken (Matthew 12:36-37).

The apostle Paul tells us not to let any unwholesome word – a rotten, smelly, foul, putrid word – come out of our mouth, but only words of edification – to build up, not tear down – to give grace appropriate for the need of the moment (Ephesians 4:29).

It is not easy to control the tongue or keep our mouth shut.

I heard it said once that when we are bumped what spills over is what’s inside of us. Sometimes what’s inside is pretty ugly. Spreading the ugly around doesn’t really do us or anyone else any good.

What are we supposed to do with all that build up?

The Psalms are filled with cries to God – joy, sadness, desperation, pleas for justice and mercy. We can express ourselves to Him – He understands and can actually help.

Maybe we should go to Him first, before unleashing our frustrations on those around us.

Maybe we should focus on the words that actually make a difference in our life instead of the ones dancing in our heads.

Continuing in Colossians,

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God (Colossians 3:16).

Let, again signifies something we allow or facilitate. The word of Christ – is the gospel, Jesus’s words, the Old and New Testaments – in short what we have in our Bibles. Richly dwell within you, means it is to abundantly permeate every part of our lives. We should let it govern our thoughts, actions, and every word that comes out of our mouth.

In order to do this, of course, we have to read it, meditate on it, memorize it, and study it.

We won’t be transformed by something that sits on a table gathering dust.

With all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another – this is interesting – it’s not a professional that is doing the teaching here.

We, our little community of believers, the one another – does this for each other.

Wisdom is what we get by being in the Word and indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Teaching and admonishing is the positive and negative sides of sharing from the Word what we’ve learned as appropriate to the need. Teaching is just sharing truth, and admonishing involves warnings related to that truth.

With psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God – this is the method we use to minister to each other – doesn’t it sound more pleasant than venting?

Psalms we find in Scripture. Hymns are expressions of praise. Spiritual Songs are testimonies. We’re meant to share them.

Singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God – Is it not remarkable that the result of what God does for us through Jesus (Colossians 1 & 2) results in a joyful heart singing a song of thankfulness?

I’m not suggesting phoniness or denial. The things in this verse are genuine not faked. I’m suggesting before venting and spreading our own words, we spend time in His Word, lay our burdens before Him, and get right with Him.