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17th August 2024
SaturdayReflection
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Sam Storms offers
Bridgeway Church
Your Words have the Power of Life and Death
Proverbs 18:20-21
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The difference between the right word and the almost right word, said Mark Twain, is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug!
His point, I believe, is that just as there is a frightening world of difference between a bolt of lightning, on the one hand, and the luminescence of an insect, on the other, so also between saying the right thing at the right time and the wrong thing at the wrong time.
Our words can bring life and joy and encouragement and hope and healing when spoken in the right tone and at the right time.
They can also denigrate and humiliate and destroy if we do not carefully monitor and control their use.
At other times, words are as harmless and insignificant as a lightning bug.
They may captivate our attention for a fleeting moment, but they leave no lasting impression and are of little benefit to anyone.
There is simply no way to exaggerate the life-giving and life-taking power of our words.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits"
.... Prov. 18:21
Let me give you but one other example of how important your words, your speech, even your casual comments ultimately are in the grand scheme of things.
In Matthew Jesus confronts the religious leaders of his day with this stunning statement:
"To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit.
A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.
You snakes, - how can you say good things when you are evil?
For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good person brings good things out of a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of bad things.
You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken.
Your words will be used to judge you - to declare you either innocent or guilty."
.... Matthew 12:33-37
Our words, our speech, what we say and how we say it, is so perfectly a reflection of what is in our hearts that, according to Jesus, there won't even be a need to list or evaluate your works on the day of judgment.
All that is needed is a recording of your conversations, both public and private.
Your words will either make it clear that you are a 'born again' disciple and lover of Jesus, or they will betray you as one who knows nothing of God and his saving grace.
Consider how words manipulate public opinion and shape social policy.
Today we rarely hear anyone speak of fornication. Rather, someone is merely sexually liberated.
People aren't drug addicts; they are chemically dependent.
It's rare that you hear the word homosexual; now it is same-sex attraction or alternative lifestyle.
People don't kill babies; they terminate pregnancies.
Men and women don't commit adultery; they have an affair.
Which words we use and how we employ them makes all the difference in the world.
And in Proverbs it becomes very clear, very early on, that you can easily recognize the fool by his speech, just as you can recognize the wise person by his.
William Shirer describes Hitler as easily the most effective public speaker in Germany who mesmerized his audience with a magical if not demonic power of speech.
He could hold sway over millions with the cadence and clarity of his voice.
Hitler himself wrote that one of the most significant events of his life occurred in a lecture hall in 1918 when he intervened to denounce a man who had spoken highly of the Jews.
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear"
><(((°>
This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
Enjoying God Ministries (EGM)
exists "to proclaim the power of truth and the truth about power."
This isn't just a catchy phrase.
It reflects both what is lacking in the church today and what is burning in my heart.
EGM exists to serve the body of Christ.
Our aim is to be a resource not only for pastors and leaders but for all Christians who long to dig more deeply into the Word of God and to experience the fullness of the Spirit's power.
Enjoying God Ministries is a ministry of Dr. Sam Storms who brings over 30 years of ministry to believers seeking a deeper and more passionate relationship to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Contact the Rector
The Revd.
Nic.Edwards
The Rectory,
Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE,
Northampton,
NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 - 815496
(Can be accessed from the mobile device)
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thebeneficeofbhkandr at gmail dot com
Contact the Benefice Office
Sunday School Rooms, Church Lane,
BUGBROOKE, Northampton, NN7 3PB
Land Line: 01604 830373
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