Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:29-32
Are you an encourager or discourager? Do you like to build others up or tear down? Do you desire the peace of Christ or a critical spirit? The above from the Apostle Paul gives us as believers daily instruction on how to live our lives towards others.
Do you build up only the people you love and tear down the people you hate? As a pastor I have experienced this from church members. It’s painful to go through but my response needs to be Godly, sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn’t. It is a painful path sometimes.
Do you find yourself with a critical spirit these days? Let me encourage you to do a self examination on how you treat others. If you say that you are in Christ then you should desire to obey His word. One of the most common reasons why people walk away from the church is because of angry, bitter, divisive people who like to do nothing but stir up trouble on a Sunday morning.
Notice what Paul says to get rid of: bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. All of these are the opposite of encouragement and building someone up. What Paul says to get rid of encourages a critical spirit, it encourages you to destroy someone all while you claim to be “born again”.
After Paul writes this at the end of chapter 4 he immediately says in 5:1-2:
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
I need encouragement. You need encouragement. If we are living a life of love then encouragement will flow from us towards one another.
Encourager or critic. How do you want to honor Christ?