In Christian circles, we often pray that God’s will
be done “in all that we say and do.” In the Communication Department, we would
especially hope that this is the case on a regular basis. But we all know that
somehow, there is often a disconnect between the prayer for God-glorifying
speech and the practice of it.
I recently heard a frank conversation between two friends in which one young
man asked the other why he was friends with a third guy. The second responded
that his purpose was to disciple the third person. His friend answered him
gently with, “Well, you’re not doing a very good job.” Somewhere there was a
breakdown between the intention to disciple and the practice of it. Sound
familiar? How many times have we opened our mouths and something distinctly
“non-glorifying” came out? Too many. So what are we supposed to do?
The apostle Paul expressed something similar in Romans 7:19. “For the good that
I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” If we stopped
there, our conclusion might be that it is impossible for the right thing to
ever come out of our mouths. But Paul goes on to rejoice in the source of his strength:
Jesus Christ. Because of Christ, we can glory in the power of God—knowing that
He causes all things “to work together for good”—even our failures and
inadequacies.
It is impossible for us to glorify God through our
communication if we attempt to do it in our own power. In speeches, in class,
on the sidewalk, at home, or in performance, it is utterly impossible. So our conversation
must flow not from our own hearts or our own minds.
It must flow from a humble dependence on God.