When you choose to connect yourself with the church, the body of Christ, you pledge yourself to build up the church, avoiding all fault-finding. Reference: E.G. White, "The Upward Look," p. 210.

Full text of the devotional: “Sanctify to God the Talent of Speech,” July 15

By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:37.

We all know what mischief an unruly tongue will do if left to run at will. Those who have been brought together in church capacity have bound themselves by their act in joining the church to keep evil speaking out of their ranks. It is the duty of those in responsible positions in the church to closely guard this matter to see that order and harmony are preserved in the church...

Never are you to tear one another down, for you are doing Satan’s work. Day by day you are to help one another to grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ. In this work you close the door to the enemy. The power of speech is a great talent to bless others or a great curse to cause dissension and strife.

The one who gives himself up to finding fault with this one and that one is neglecting his own precious soul. And those who allow such a one to carry on his un-Christlike work unrebuked are themselves accountable before God of injury to their brethren...

Can we expect the blessing of God to rest upon a church when the members are cherishing bitterness against one another?... Those in whose hearts Christ abides will show in their lives the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. Those who are controlled by the enemy will be filled with envy, strife, malice, and evil-surmising...

If one of those of whom these cruel words are spoken were tonight lying cold in death, how different would be the words spoken of him. How often this is the case: While a person is living and could be blessed by kind words, unkind, bitter words are spoken of him, but when his work is ended, and his hands are folded in death, words of love and appreciation are spoken. But the words of love fall upon ears that hear not. They are spoken to hearts that cannot be comforted. It is too late! Oh, if some of these words of love could have been spoken in life, how much better it would have been...

God desires His people to bring into their homes all the peace and joy and love that it is possible for them to have. The love that they bring into the home, they will bring into the church. My brethren and sisters, you can bring the peace of heaven into the home and into the church, if you will sanctify to God the talent of speech.— Manuscript 26, July 15, 1886, “Evil-speaking,” a sermon preached in Oslo, Norway.