Hi Faith Family,
Praying you are healthy and in good spirits today,
Call to mind the last person with whom you spoke before you started reading this. Evaluate what you said and how you said it. How did you use your words? Where would you rate your comments on the following spectrums:
Thoughtful …………………………………………………..Thoughtless
Genuine………………………………………………………Sarcastic
Self-less………………………………………………………Selfish
Kind…………………………………………………………..Mean
Sweet…………………………………………………………Bitter
Honest………………………………………………………...Misleading
Helpful……………………………………………………….Attacking
Encouraging………………………………………………….Discouraging
Speaking well of others………………………………………Gossiping
How did you do? How we use our words is more than a point of interest—I believe it is significant and important. Checking how we use our words is a healthy practice—it forces us to consider what others hear, not just what we mean to say.
There is a right way and a wrong way to share our words with others. The wrong way is to make words entrenched in our self-absorbed way, without a thought to the ears our words will hit nor the One who created that tongue in our head. Such sins of selfishness and lack of care about what our word use reflects upon God’s Name is often awful. Too often our word selection has given evidence to the sinfulness in which we were born and with which we will struggle until our tongues wag no more. Sin is serious. Sin is awful. Sin is damning.
For said sin the Savior surrendered himself. All creation waited until the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman. The Savior waited three decades of his perfect life until he embarked on the mission of sharing himself with the world. His enemies stood at the foot of his cross waiting for him to die. His followers waited in a room locked up tight for three days until the light of Easter morning ushered in an everlasting assurance of sins forgiven—that we are right with God. That whoever lives and believes in him will never die. And so our choice of words becomes clearer in the light of the first Easter Day.
Let the light of Easter fill your heart, mind, and soul with joyful peace that overflows in your words. What you have to say is significant. Your words are important, and often more powerful than you think. Who knows what the emotional state might be of the next person with whom you will have the opportunity to speak? Who knows? God knows. There may be a very good reason and a purpose to that conversation. Make the best use of every opportunity as you honor God with what you say. I encourage this to be your prayer today.
Proverbs 12:25
“An anxious heart weighs a man down,
but a kind word cheers him up.”
Blessing on your week!
--Pastor Dan