Guiding verse for 2006.

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. ~Ephesians 4:29

i came across this verse interestingly enough, after having told a few of you that one of the ways i want to build myself up in the new year, is to seek to speak only words of eternal value.

Sounds like an daunting task? What exactly is 'eternal value'?

This goal i had set for my life refers to an intentional effort to speak to edify. This does not imply that i would not kid or entertain harmless jokes anymore; come on, you all know how much i love humour, and all that the word encompasses. Chuckles, giggles and hearty laughters are terribly effective antidotes to lethargy, both physical and mental, in me.

But this does mean that i will be making more conscious efforts to note how i address my peers (just one of the areas). The playful and cheeky girl in me likes to give people innocent names (i can hear many of you exclaiming 'yah lor!'). Whereas all of them are really good-natured names out of contained mischief, ie. 'whale' equates to being 'big-hearted', i do not deny i can find no way to call some such as 'cockroach' (er..herm =P) edifying.

And praise the Lord that He does not leave me scratching my head over the strategies and tactics of learning to speak for the eternal value, cos' Ephesians 4:29b is an excellent God-blessed manual:

*Only what is helpful for

*building others up

*according to their needs,

that it may *benefit those who listen

The verse teaches us to go beyond egging one another on when it states 'according to their needs'. This added a new dimension to my heart of encouragement, when it caused me to reflect on how i have been heartening the people around me with my words. I am aware that i do tailor my words of encouragement to the person whose spirit i am trying to inject a boost, meaning that i make conscious efforts to be as specific as possible. But if God wants us to even meet the needs of the people through our speech (and not only actions), it does mean that even the simplest verbal motivation needs to be intimately Spirit-led, so that the listeners will not merely feel good from it, but even experience a radical reflection upon themselves that can possibly spark off changes of eternal significance.

This is definitely good stuff for me to start learning and practising for my family, relationships, ministry, life-coaching journey,....myself......everywhere. :) Praise God. it's definitely goin to be a year of Growth!