Speak Only What Builds Up
Let no corrupt word come out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up those who hear.
Did my words give life to people, or eat away at them?
📝Reflection
The Greek sapros means "rotten, spoiled," and originally referred to spoiled food or decayed wood. Paul likens words that wound to spoiled food. As bad food sickens the body, bad words sicken the heart. Good words, by contrast, build a person up. I learned late that the same meaning can give life or death to a person depending on how it is said. Set the aim of your speech on "does this build the other up," and it naturally gets filtered. A word that leaves the mouth always arrives at someone's heart.
🌱Apply It Today
If you must point something out to someone today, reshape the words so they leave the other stronger.
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
