Ephesians 5:4
“Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
WWJD, “What Would Jesus Do?” HWLF “He Would Love First.” Have you ever seen these bracelets or shirts? I remember when I was in Sunday School growing up and every answer was “Jesus” or like “Love each other.” That’s kind of the extent that it used to hit me when I would think about what it means to be an imitator of Christ. But is there more?
To set the conversation up here, let’s be sure to remember that you are saved and forgiven from your sin because Jesus died on the cross. He lived the perfect life. He gave himself as the perfect sacrifice for you. You cannot earn any more Salvation by being a better person here on earth. All you can do is believe and have Him as your Savior and then you get to go to Heaven. Done. Finished. Completed.
BUT
Jesus also cares about you here on earth and He wants more for you and your interactions with others. Interactions with others…that’s always been a hard one for me because I like to joke. Does anybody else like to joke? Like you and your friends like to be sarcastic or sometimes a little inappropriate, nothing crazy, but just enough to be funny. I know that I do that sometimes. The issue is that the Bible is pretty clear here, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”
Yiiiiiiiikes. No foolish talk or coarse joking? For me, I have seen the ways those things really hurt people. Maybe not that I can see immediately but in long term effects. As in your joke too much and now you can’t have a serious conversation with your friend. Or you joke so much that all of a sudden you wake up one day and you don’t trust people and you don’t feel safe even amongst your closest friends. These rules aren’t here to make our lives harder, they are here because God knows a little more (okay a lot more) than we do about relationships and knows that in the moment, inappropriate jokes and sarcastic humor are fun but in the long run, they hurt people. You may think that you can handle it but I promise, the jokes will eventually hurt your friends. The jokes will eventually hurt you.
So, this week keep an eye out, or more realistically an ear, to what you are saying or what your friends are saying. How many of the words you are exchanging are “throw-away” words and how many are uplifting. Just take it all into account. See what you find. If you find more harm than good, it’s time to make a change. Be the words of encouragement in your group and begin to be an imitator of Christ and follow that “HWLF” bracelet and “show love” with your words first.