June 3, Slander and Slurs

Today’s reading: Psalm 11-15

“Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? . . . whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others”   - Psalm 15:1, 3.

Psalm 15 asks a question and then provides the answers in the following verses. In verse 3, we learn that the one who can dwell in God’s presence is the person who controls his or her tongue. What does the psalmist mean by godly speech? It includes not slandering or “casting slurs” on another person. A slur is a “disparaging remark” and slander is “oral communication of false and malicious statements that damage the reputation of another.” Paul wrote about the same thing in Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Are you using your mouth to build up or tear down others? What can you do to be more positive and proactive with your words? Do you need to go back and repair any damage done to others by what you said?