A Good Word is a Blessing but an Unkind Word Tears Down

Weekly Devotional 8-23-21

A Good Word is a Blessing but an Unkind Word Tears Down

The World Needs Building Up! It seems that right now in our world speaking our mind is something everyone feels the need to do, exercise our freedom of speech as frequently as possible. There has been so much happening in our busy world, especially as of late, and with up to the minute news programs and social media, everything out in the world is brought to us constantly and quickly without a chance to really see the entire picture or digest what we have heard or seen before sharing our “two cents.”

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Ephesians Believers thusly:  29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:29-32). We should take to heart Paul’s encouragement.

We all want to help others when it really comes down to it. So often we feel giving our opinion is going to help others see what they are doing wrong. We really want to speak what is helpful and not harmful to the well-being of others. We truly need to speak what builds a person up and not tear them down. Unfortunately, that often comes out of our mouths backwards. We mean well, but we so many times end up hurting someone by what we say or how we say it. In our fast-paced technology driven world, texting and emailing  may easily misconstrue how the person intended the message to be received as well. We have heard the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That is not true! Words do hurt! Words can either build up, encourage, motivate or they can hurt, tear down, or leave someone with lasting scars. As people of God, we need to be careful about what we allow to come out of our mouth. As the old saying goes, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all!” Words spoken out of our mouth are important for the simple fact that they speak what is in our hearts. By parable Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart[a] brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

What are you speaking? Words that build up or tear others down? Let’s bring the Love of Christianity into the world whenever we can, weather it is in the parking lot at the grocery store, in our jobs, at church or just in our own homes. Building people up is always better than tearing them down, especially in a negative world!

Again turning to the writings of the Apostle Paul, we read: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

Steve

Stevelampman.com

Transforming Power; the Work of God on Behalf of Man

 

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Patty Murphy of Jackson Street Baptist Church of Scranton Pa for her thoughts concerning the truths contained within.

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