Devotion
Let there be no evil in your mouth
David Jacobs

You may have heard the phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me." I always thought this was an incredibly foolish thing to teach a child, because words can obviously hurt us! In fact, there are many examples in the Bible urging believers of God to be mindful of their speech. Christ's followers should be swift to hear and slow to speak. This is the path to wisdom, and in my own experiences, I would say that my ability to listen to people far outweighs my ability to speak.

Swift to listen and slow to speak...this phrase reminds me of another popular quote. There is a saying from the movie Bambi. Thumper, the cute rabbit, utters this line: "If you can't say something nice don't say nothin' at all." It may sound less pretty, but it is a good summation of this verse in Ephesians. The final verses discuss things that we should avoid, most in regards to our temperament, and the last is feelings that we should feel.

Prayer

Paul has learned well from Christ; hopefully we can too, but if not, maybe the rabbit, Thumper, can teach us a valuable lesson.