Death And Life In The Power Of Our Words
Why did you choose that one? Is it sentimental? Pretty? Easy to use? Your favorite color?
And what do you do with your writing tool? You write words! Words are so important in school , on the job, at home, and out in the world. Many times we take what we say (or don’t say) for granted, but in Proverbs, Solomon says we have to be serious about what we say.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21
We all have to think about what we say before it comes spilling out because our words affect people - whether we mean to or not.
But how do we know what we should and shouldn’t say?
Paul wrote: For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 1 Corinthians 3:19
God doesn’t care what the world says. He doesn’t care what influencers think, what our friends say, or what the popular slang of the moment is. That’s just the “wisdom” of the world, which isn’t really wisdom at all.
It’s great to learn things in church, in Sunday School, and in your own personal study, but “don’t take our word for it.” (Get it? See what I did there?) Yes, we definitely want you to listen to your pastor or small group teachers and get wisdom from them, but you can’t take what another person preaches and teaches at face value, no matter how educated and intelligent they sound.
That being said, where do we go for wisdom?
The only correct answer is the Bible.
If I showed you some costume jewelry, it would be all blinged out and shiny. It would catch your eye and draw you in to get a closer look. But if I took them to the pawn shop to sell them, I'd be laughed at and sent away.
But if I showed you a genuine ruby and opal necklace, it would be less flashy and wouldn't sparkle as much. It's smaller than the costume jewelry and isn't as eye-catching as its fake counterpart.
The necklace is worth much more than the costume jewelry even though it is much more low-key. It’s genuine, and its worth stands the test of time. You could order the fake stuff online for a couple of bucks, and if you mess with them too much, they’ll break and be worthless.
Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.
For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.
Proverbs 8:10-14
God’s word, the lessons in the Bible, the Scripture we read over and over again, are more valuable than anything else in the world. They answer every question, settle every dispute, and provide the example of how we should live every single day of our lives. They never grow old, they never go out of style, and they’ll never fail - just like God Himself.
That means what He says about our words is also timely, in-style and guaranteed never to fail.
I created a handout with 26 things Scripture says our words should be. Right click or control-click on the handout to download and save it. It's a great mini study on what God says are important decisions we need to make every time we open our mouths.
Remember - death and life are in the power of the tongue. What you say has more impact than just about anything else in the world. How will you use what you say - and what you don’t say - to influence people's lives?
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