THE POWER OF OUR WORDS
S - Scripture: Ephesians 4:29-32; Colossians 3:12-15; Philippians 4:8
O - Observations:
"Let no corrupt [rotten, putrefied, no longer fit for use, worn out, worthless, poor quality, destroying word] communication proceed out of your mouth ..." ~ Eph 4:29a
Matthew says it this way: "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." ~ Matthew 7:17, 18
If we are known by our fruits, "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by [his] fruit.", as it says in Matthew 12:33 then is part of our "fruit" the words coming out of our mouths? It occured to me, and is my conclusion this morning in looking at the above two verses that part of our fruit indeed is the things we say. Now this may all be obvious to another observer, but to me when I used to think of "fruit" it was in the character (like we have been talking about, love, joy, peace, patience ...), but where does our character come from, our hearts. It is all becoming clearer the more I consider this. "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." and "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man." Matthew 12:34, 15:18
It is true we can "have all the right words", I grew up this way, knowing all the "Christian lingo" and if I am not careful I can continue to do this, but God warns us through his son, Yeshua, in Matthew 15:8 not to be like this, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me."
Let our hearts and mouths be used as Paul described it, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10:10
So if we are to "be careful little mouths what you speak" and "speak nothing corrupt", then what say we then? (to use a little old English to keep us on our toes this morning ;) " ... but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." Ephesians 4:29b This should be the motto of my life and my home "to speak edifying words and to minister grace" ... That is the person I want to be, not the lady screaming at her children "corrupt communication" ...
I confess I get mad sometimes when I hear people talking all foul-mouthed using "4-letter words" and what-not, but how much better am I when I speak out of anger to my children because they can't remember to put their little shoes in the BIG shoe box and we are late and we can only find 1 shoe in the pair we need to wear that day ARGH! I may not use the traditional 4-letter curse words, but you can rest assured that the things I am saying in my panicked, exasperated, running late mode is no better ... things like "why can't you remember to put your shoes in the box, it is SOOOO simple" (translation: "why are you so stupid?!) I might not out-and-out call my kid stupid, but isn't that what I am saying or perhaps what they are hearing? Top that with the 30 decibels I am saying it at as I run around the house lifting couch cushions and chairs in the attempts to find a Size 9 kid's pink crock ... shouldn't a bright neon pink shoe be easier to find? Corrupt communication ...
Verse 30 and 31 in Ephesians 4 goes on to say "... greive not the Holy Spirit of God ... Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away [far] from you, with all malice ..." We are good with verse 32 and can probably say it by heart, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." How many like me quote or think of verse 32 in relation to our actions, like "be kind, share your toys, don't hit your sister ...", but how many of us (or me especially) think of this in relation to our words? And how often do our words grieve the Holy Spirit of God? (sigh)
In one of his next letters Paul continues, " ... clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience ... " Colossians 3:12b and we are to "forgive our quarrels" and "above all put on love" and "let peace reign" and to speak in "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with grace" so that "whatever we do in word or deed" would please the Father and in verses 18-22 of that chapter it goes on to talk about good family relations, wives submitting (may I suggest "Created to be his Helpmeet by Debi Pearl) and husbands loving your wives and children obeying their parents and fathers not provoking their kids and everyone doing these things as unto the LORD so we can reach our inheritance in Heaven.
How often over this past year or two have I really felt and understood the gravity of these things and especially today as I come to a fuller understanding of how important words are. Oh, I have heard it said and said it myself that words have the power to "create" as God created the world with His words and there was a season in my life when that idea consumed my thinking and a group of us would keep each other accountable to that fact, but today I see the gravity of our words in a deeper way.
A - Application for me today:
For me our words are a heart issue. Paul makes it clear that our inheritance is tied up in these very things. How often I have thought about my salvation over the course of the past couple of years as I have seen how corrupt my heart can be and frankly, is. I got some very nice compliments from a friend yesterday who sent me an acronym for my name in response to one I had sent her. To read the kind words she said painted me out to be a pretty nice gal and certainly the way I want to be known, but how would God paint me if He were to send me an acronym for my name? How does He see my heart? How would my kids paint me? Somedays perhaps better than others!
WORDS! We sang the song this past Sabbath in church "wonderful words of life" ... that part of the song keeps replaying in my head since we sang it and from what we have been studying this week.
I want to speak edifying words. I want to be a minister of grace. If I never spoke another angry word again it would be too soon ... I want the full inheritance of Heaven and of my Father. If my words were placed in the balance of Judgement which side would tip the scale? Edifying words that please my Father or corrupt communication that grieves His Spirit?
How often are my words "worn out, worthless and destroying" to all who come in my fire breathing path?
How offten are my words like a drink of cool water on a hot day, refreshing?
I am not saying there aren't times to be stern and disciplining, but when it is done right it can correct the very hearts of our children, but if I am just spouting off words sounding like the Charlie Brown parents "wha-wha-wha, wha-wha-wha" I am just a clanging symbol!
Even some of the words Jesus spoke to the Pharisees seemed a little harsh sometimes calling them "vipers and white-washed tombs" ... so there is some kind of balance here we need to consider, but overall I think the idea is and needs to be for me to "be careful little mouth what you speak!" (and how you speak it) ... speaking edifying words and being a minister of grace!
P - Prayer in response:
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)
DO: As we consider all we have learned lately, how can we put that into action? Take a sheet of construction paper or cardstock and fold it in 1/2 and put your left hand on the top of the folded sheet on the folded line. Trace your hand and cut it out to make a hand shaped card. If you were to open and close the card you could imagine "applause", right? You could write the words "Applause for all you do" or "Applause to you" or something like that across the front of the card and on the inside write a specific note to a friend or family member for something you appreciate about them. Give this card to them or mail it to edify and minister grace to them.
Of course you don't have to go through all the "trouble" of making a card like this you can simply use a store bought card that is blank inside or find one that says what you appreciate them for if you are not feeling especially creative. Either way let the people around you know how much you appreciate them. Try and do this for your immediate family especially and do it for the next four weeks. Go ahead and prepare four edifying notes and give them one each week for the next four weeks ... you might be very surprised at the good response you get and will want to make this something you do on a more regular basis.
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