Love: The Power to Practice Courtesy

Day 4

                        

      Love:  The Power to Practice Courtesy

“Love does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking.” I Corinthians 13:5

One way to keep from dishonoring others and to honor them instead is to be careful about what we say and don’t say.  “And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.”

Matthew 12:36-37

Here’s two things Pastor Craig Groeschel says we can ask ourselves before we talk about someone:

1.       Are my words helpful or hurtful?  He says that he found himself making compliment sandwiches to hide the fact that he was gossiping about someone.  For example, “Greg is such a great speaker, but did you hear he neglects his family?? What a shame – he is a phenomenal leader.”  Saying something nice about someone doesn’t negate saying something bad about them.  It’s still gossip, no matter how we package it.  Let’s be careful to keep something hurtful to ourselves and concentrate on what is good and helpful for the building up of one another.

2. 

     Am I making private things public?  “If you want to tell your friends about your own problems, tell them.  But don’t discuss what someone told you in private.”  Proverbs 25:9.  Even the world knows that telling people’s secrets is wrong, but we, as Christians, sometimes have a tendency to cloak the telling of other people’s secrets as a prayer request.  For example, “Walter just found out his wife cheated on him.  He could really use some prayer.”  You know what else Walter could really use?  A friend who doesn’t make private things public!

Our words matter.  Don’t tear down – build up.  Don’t be caught talking badly about someone behind their back – be caught speaking life! 

Questions for Reflection

What are some ways that our speech can reflect rudeness or self-seeking, in contrast to Higher Love? 

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Can you think of circumstances where you struggle with this?

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How can the 2 questions from the devotional help with this struggle?   

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Based on the devotional, write out a prayer.

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