Coarse Jesting

Now I don't know about you all reading this, but I really love to laughing. Laughing for me is like therapy, forgetting the stresses of the day, even though it's brief, is a joy.

Last night, I went to a friend's house to hang out. As usual, in my group of friends, we got pretty silly and started to joke around quite a bit. Then the jokes started to get quite a bit coarse, which usually doesn't happen. Nevertheless, we all continued laughing, and ignored our slight shock. What harm was there in it anyway?

Today, I got a text from one of my friends quoting a verse in Ephesians and suggesting it as the topic of our next Bible study. It was the verse about coarse joking. I was immediately convicted and knew obviously we had gone too far. I went home and looked up the verse and it said,

³But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. ⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. ⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

I'd read that verse before, but this time is hit me hard. Not even a hint. Wow, I definitely know I've had more than a hint in my life. Up to this point, I've taken inappropriate joking with a grain of salt, not really being for it, but still laughing if I found something particularly funny. This shouldn't be so. Sex is a gift made by God, and by joking about it, we're making fun of something God meant to be special. And ANYONE who is impure has NO inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. Man, that's something to think about.

Ang