Serous or not so Serous?

         “Okay, I am serious now!” Such would be the words of some of the people that I have met in my life who were constantly joking about things in life. They are always ready with a pun or making fun of something even to the point of being crude or vulgar. All of a sudden, they desire to say something that is important and no one listens to them because they don't know if they are really serious or not. So, the speaker has to enlighten his or her audience by saying, “Now, I am serious.” If Bob Hope says, “The end is coming,” you stand there waiting for the punch line. If the Apostle Paul says, “the end is coming,” you tend to get ready for it. Ephesians 5:4 says, “Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”

        My wife often reminds me that my “dry humor” is simply due to the fact that I am a “Hoosier,” that is, from the state of Indiana. I may have ended up being more known for my dry humor than my seriousness. Once you make a person laugh, you tend to keep on doing it. People often end up making verbal caricatures of people which can turn very quickly to something vulgar and quickly goes from poking fun at someone to really being hurtful. Don Rickles was known for tearing down someone else or as someone has said, his insult comedy. This type of speaking however, is frowned upon by God. It has no favorable purpose. Paul gave us a lot of teaching especially in the final three chapters of the Book of Ephesians and one of the lessons is how we talk. I am often reminded of what I call the “Praise Sandwich.” It begins with a praise of how good you are, then shifts to “you really are a mess in this area,” and then finishes with another “praise.” You may have had a number of them yourself during your own days in the church or even at work. The teaching of the Apostle Paul in this section doesn't stop with the vulgar or jesting speech but then goes on to give us instruction on what to do. He states, “...but giving of thanks.” My Father often remarked, “If you can't say something good about a person, don't say anything at all.” Of course, we can say something good and that involves giving thanks for the person with whom we are speaking. Let's face it, if you have to preface your statement with, “Now, I am serious,” you are in trouble. It is better for us to learn the lesson of Ephesians 5:4 in the beginning and not be known as a “jester” or a vulgar person. Praise God for His Word and the application of it into our lives.