Speaking Truth with Grace

Some wise words for us in Hebrews 13:
15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that ^bgive thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.   The measure of our heart is found in the words of our mouths - Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.   We have to be so careful with the words that speak, making sure that we are encouraging and building up, rather than tearing down.   And, it's helpful to use our mouths to bless the Lord and bless others intentionally.   From Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God ; I shall seek You ^aearnestly ; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh ^byearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live ; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with ^cmarrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.
Well, this is the 100th anniversary of the Oreo cookie, but the national discourse these days seems to be less on something sweet to put into our mouths, but unsavory words that proceed out of our mouths - or our computer keyboard.   Following Rush Limbaugh's apology to the law student whom he called two inappropriate names, actress and conservative Christian Patricia Heaton apologized for disparaging remarks that she made on Twitter over the weekend toward the same individual.    And, unfortunately, the comments have been used to distract from very important issues regarding religious freedom, free contraception for people engaging in out-of-marriage sexual activity, and government control over health care. 

So lack of civility has its price.   Columinst Matt Lewis wrote this:

At the end of the day — at the end of our lives — shouldn’t our life’s work — our purpose — have been noble? (Yes, political participation is honorable. Fighting for freedom is certainly honorable. But it is noble only if done in an honorable manner.)
This, of course, is a lesson that even the most introspective person must learn and re-learn.

Peter Wehner, who, like Matt, has been a guest on my radio show, wrote this:

...too often people confuse civility with lack of conviction. It’s perfectly appropriate for political debate to be characterized by intensity and sharp clashes. And we shouldn’t treat political opponents as if they are porcelain dolls. But the ease with which the attacks move into the realm of the ad hominem – the kind of easy viciousness we find these days — is something to be concerned about.

The Bible speaks forcefully about proper and improper uses of the tongue - and as Christians who claim to know and follow God's Word, it's important that we set the example.   Not that we shouldn't express our convictions, but it's important to do so with grace, as Jim Daly of Focus on the Family related recently at National Religious Broadcasters.     Civility is a virtue, and if the tone is such that it distracts from the content, then it doesn't accomplish anything productive, and becomes a barrier to effective understanding.   I refrain from using words like, "war" or "culture war" on this program, and am cautious to emphasize that when public policy matters are being discussed and analyzed, we are highlighting policies, not personalities.    I pray that the words we speak and the way they are said would be pleasing to the Lord.