I cringe when I think about some of the communication faux pas I made during my first year living overseas. A funny one I’ll never forget happened at lunch one day with a group of new friends. I told a story about a new Lebanese restaurant I visited in the Middle Eastern city where we lived. One of my friends was from the United Kingdom, and she asked me, “How did you find it?” I proceeded to tell her the route I took to drive there. In the awkward moment that followed, I realized that wasn’t at all what she meant. A more proper response would have been, “The food was good and the service was great!” My friend wanted to know how I liked it, not how I got there.

Our interaction that day highlighted how important it is to know that different words mean different things in different cultures. My understanding of that fact transformed my relationships and my interaction with the culture where we lived. 

It’s no surprise that Scripture also affirms how important it is to understand the meaning of words. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14-15 about the importance of correctly handling God’s Word. He lists several disciplines needed to make that happen: diligence, accuracy, and abstinence - from wrangling over words and worldly or empty chatter. The result is the transformed life of an approved and unashamed worker.

Paul’s instruction is just as valuable for us today. We struggle with that same age-old problem in a current-day form. Words fly off our phones in a curious modern-day shorthand that is often misunderstood. Social media surrounds us with worldly and empty chatter. Opinions about everything choke the Twittersphere. We wrangle over pronouns and offensive words.

In the swirling rhetoric that surrounds us, God’s Word is a balm to our souls. His timeless wisdom transforms our thinking and clarifies our worldview. It is the grounding we need to understand the culture in which we live. Meditate on it, and live it out - so you will present yourself approved to God as one who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.