I love words. I love reading them, reading about them,
playing with them. I love plays on words. I love the sound of some words,
like "splash", "squish", "gargle"...
But words can be dangerous. They can be hurtful.
I was thinking last night and all of a sudden something an old
boyfriend had told me popped back into my mind, and I felt insecure and
questioning about my relationship with my husband again.
A friend who thinks her rebuke is gentle actually has a razor sharp edge to
what she says, and she makes my soul bleed when she corrects me. But she doesn't know that, and I don't know how to tell her.
A man wrote a book declaring he found Jesus and his family's tomb, and
many will buy this book and read it and believe it to be true. Another man wrote a book stating that we can never really be sure about anything until we die, and
many will believe him as well.
Words are powerful. Words have won wars, and started wars. Words have married people and destroyed marriages. Words edify the church and destroy her from the inside out. Words can heal, and words can harm.
Proverbs says "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver." Another way of saying that is a word in due season is priceless. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Words are important. They convey ideas and transmit lies. They encourage and discourage. They amuse, inform, educate, and guide. But the also rob, cheat, confuse and mislead.
Matthew 12:36 tells us we will give an account for every casual, idle word we speak...God knows how important our words are. James wrote a lot about the power of the tongue.
So, watch your words today and every day. Surrender your tongue, your vocabulary, to God and His Spirit. Let's build up, and not tear down. Let's heal, and not harm. Let's encourage with enthusiasm, and lecture with love.
Give a good word today!
Deena
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Tasty Lil' Morsels, They Be...
Posted by Deena Peterson at 8:22 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Your "words" made me think of Proverbs 10:19 (NASB):
"Where there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who retrains his lips is wise" My note beside this verse says, Don't talk too much for it fosters sin, Be sensible and turn off the flow! AND
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV):
"The tongue has power of life and death, and those who love it will eat of its fruit". My note in the margin says: If our tongue can be controlled our mouths will be fountains of life and we will be worth listening to. We will eat the fruit of our words and a wise woman guards her words.
It is all to true that we remember those harmful words spoken to/at us. I want my words to speak blessings! I love the statement "Lecture With Love"! Great post Deena! Thanks for sharing.
I read somewhere that our words are a "Showcase of the Heart". It hurts me to know that I have lacerated others with the anger and bitterness that I stored in my heart. Any anger or bitterness is in the end, anger and bitterness to God. Oh how that has helped to cry out as David did, "Create in me a clean heart.." Our hearts need a spirtual cleansing on a continual basis. Then and only then will are words be seasoned with love, mercy and grace.
I hope my words never cut like a razor. It is God's job to cut away what is not of Him. Although if He wanted to use your mouth to do this in another's life, would you let Him?
Iron sharpens iron. That is two people plus God welding the hammer.
Sorry you were hurt.
It is great that we serve a God who is able to heal.
Post a Comment