Speaking of Edifying

We are commanded by God to be slow to speak and slow to become angry. But, that's not what I see among some of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We should be edifying, but instead we tear down. This is not love. It is not powerful to place our own convictions on other people with our prideful words or quotes, but it is very powerful to hold our tongue and speak the truth in love. Remember...love does not envy it does not boast, it is not proud and certainly not rude. We should not be proud of who we are or what we 'do' because apart from God we can do nothing. Instead of expecting everyone to do what we do or be where we are, let's love each other right where we're at. Let's give grace and mercy and love at all times. When I was a baby Christian I was often insulted for not being 'spiritual' enough, and now that I'm a little stronger in my faith, I've been criticized for 'thinking I have it all together or thinking I'm perfect.' But the truth is, Christ in me--the Hope of Glory, has set me free. I'm not held captive by what anyone says or thinks of me because I know who I am in Him. But there was a time when peoples words still had power over me, and lets be honest, the Bible does sat that the tongue can kill and destroy. There's lots of people out there that just need to be encouraged or edified with an encouraging word. Let's not be haughty and prideful thinking everyone should be where we are at. And let's not be deceived into thinking we have got it all together. That can be a very scary place. I am constantly learning. Everyday God teaches me something new because His word is living and active! I make a choice each day to place myself---my everything, at The foot of His cross and the throne of His grace. I encourage myself in the Lord and chose to walk according to his perfect will for my life, and when I miss it, He is faithful to correct me becasue He loves me.
Let us be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Let's think before we speak AND before we type. Let's use our tongues to bring glory to God and edify Him while we edify one another, and let's use Facebook for that, too!