Yesterday was Week 2 in our sermon series on the book of James. We’re asking four questions that serve as a “Personal Litmus Test.” The first question was What do I do with my FAITH? Yesterday we asked ourselves What do I do with my WORDS?
Our words are so important and powerful. We know the impact others’ words have on us. A compliment – or slam – that we heard years ago still sticks with us. A fight we had with a loved one that we can remember – verbatim – for decades. And yet we often say things without thinking that OUR words will have lasting impact as well.
The first lesson from yesterday was that God takes this “word stuff” seriously. For example look at what James says in 1:26:
“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.”
Seriously? Worthless? Yowza! And yet we tell ourselves “Oh, gossip isn’t that big of a deal”. “He’ll get over it…I was just blowing off steam.” “I’ll just send this email and get this off my chest.”
The second lesson we learned from yesterday is that our words have positive power. It’s not all negative. Our words have the power to encourage, heal, teach, and call on the Spirit of God. We looked at chapter five of James where James – in one paragraph – lists out five ways our words can be used in positively powerful ways.
1. We can pray.
2. We can praise.
3. We can pray for others.
4. We can call for help.
5. We can confess.
(By the way…this list isn’t exhaustive. Come up with a few hundred of your own. wink)
Questions:
1. Do I take God’s command to “keep a tight rein on my tongue” seriously?
2. In what ways do I need to improve when it comes to what comes out of my mouth?
3. How have I seen words used positively?
4. How can I use my words to encourage someone – today?!?
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Improvement...something I can always do...I need to be more careful of my words with my boys, and see how they hear them...Andreas is at the age where he repeats things...and when he says things that I have said sometimes it is not the words I want him to be saying...sometimes it is something I don't realize that I say or I don't understand how it sounds till I hear it repeated back at me throught the mouth of an almost three year old....out of the mouths of babies...
ReplyDeleteBut on a good note there is nothing more sweet than when your almost three year old says back to you "I love you mommy" after you have told him....the power of words....that one just melts my heart it if is coming from the three year old, or the almost 9 year old....
Yes...the kids bring our good words and bad ones right to the surface don't they? And when Mommy corrects them and they reply with "But Daddy says it" - that's not good! (Not that that's ever happened at our house. wink)
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