How important to relationships are your words?
Their
importance cannot be over exaggerated!
“My dear brothers, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak …” James 1:19
We’ve all heard the phrase . . . God gave us two ears and
one mouth so that we should listen twice as much as we talk. Few things improve
a relationship better than listening. That being said, there obviously comes a
time we much talk.
And that’s where we tend to get ourselves in trouble. Why?
Because sometimes we:
Talk before thinking
Use words carelessly
Open mouth and insert foot
I love how the Message Version of the Bible words James
3:2, 4-6 . . .
“We
get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find
someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in
perfect control of life…A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it
can accomplish nearly anything – or destroy it. It only takes a spark,
remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out
of your mouth can do that. By our speech we ruin the world, turn harmony
into chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go
up with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.”
If we truly realized the power of our words I think we’d
use them more cautiously.
“The tongue has the power of life and death…” Proverbs
18:21
Today, you and I have the choice to use our words
destructively to tear down or constructively to build up.
Destructively
. . .
Cursing
Lying
Boasting
Gossiping
Constructively
. . .
Teaching
Encouraging
Guiding
Praising
Here is one of the greatest verses in the Bible on the use
of our words . . .
Speak
the truth in love . . . Ephesians 4:15
Here
is a great test of our words . . .
Before
you speak let your words pass through three gates.
Is it true?
Is it necessary?
Is it kind?
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