Yes! There is Good News! May 3, 2019

The words we speak are important! We say many things in the course of the day; some of them are off the cuff and some of them are deliberately formed to try and get across a point. I would go on to say that words are powerful – I believe you have heard the saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” So, if words have power, how should we form and evaluate the words that we speak on a daily basis?

Let us first consider God’s words. Genesis 1:3 says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.” If we look at each of the six days of creation, we see that they all begin with, “And God said.” God spoke the universe into existence. God’s word is powerful – He speaks and things happen.

I am always struck by the scriptures wherein the words, “thus declares the LORD” end a very powerful lesson or correction. God speaks and He means what He says!!

One particular piece of scripture gives me great excitement whenever I read it and I ask you to pay attention to how it ends: “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath, and from doing your pleasure on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall find your joy in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:13 – 14)

So what about our words? In Matthew 12:36 Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Now, there’s a scripture to pay attention to! What kind of things come out of our mouths on a daily basis? What kind of careless words do we say?
I am sure that every one of us, reading this article, has spoken words that have gotten us into trouble. And it’s a kind of trouble that is not always easy to undo. Two verses before this in Matthew 12, Jesus makes a very interesting comment, “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” In other words, if our hearts are filled with evil things, then evil words come out of the mouth. Again Jesus puts it this way, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”

Well, then, perhaps we should consider what is in our hearts – we should examine our hearts. Solomon wrote the book of wisdom which we call Proverbs. In the first eight chapters he make 10 paternal appeals and in chapter 4, toward the end, he says this, “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

Thank you Solomon!! Shall we look more closely at this next time?