Our Words Steer Our Lives
As large ships driven by strong winds are steered by one very small rudder, so do our words steer our lives. The words that we speak are life changing. Are we going to speak words of faith, or doubt? Are we going to speak words of love, or words of hate? Are we going to speak words of understanding, or of judgement? The words we speak are going to steer our lives.
Image courtesy of: Erminig Gwenn
Scripture:
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praising and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” – James 3:9-11
Observation/Application:
Can anyone doubt the power of words spoken? What better example than in Genesis. Notice that whenever God created something, he spoke it into existence. The most famous of this is where God said, “Let there be light”. But this is also true of everything that God created in Genesis. God spoke it into existence.
A few other great scripture references include:
- Proverbs 18:21 reinforces this great truth where it says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
- Proverbs 15:4 says, “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”
- Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
So how do we change the words that we speak and ultimately transform our lives? The secret lies in Luke 6:45, where it says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” It all starts with what is in our hearts.
What comes out of our mouths overflows from what is in our hearts. A critical and self-righteous heart produces a critical and judgmental tongue. And a bitter and ungrateful heart produces a bunch of complaints and grumbling. But a loving and faithful heart produces grace and truth. A peaceful and trusting heart promotes reconciliation and encouragement.
Not happy with how life is going? Catching yourself grumbling, judging, struggling? The number one way to change our lives is by changing the words that we speak. The words that we speak come from the heart, but also have influence over the heart. If we speak something enough, our heart will be transformed by the words that we speak.
Therefore, let us speak words of life and light, love and truth which comes from the Word of God. Let God’s Word transform our hearts and our lives. Let us build each other up, rather than tear each other down. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up.” – Acts 20:32.
Make it a great day, in Jesus name! I call you blessed.
#And-it-was-so
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. Let your Word transform our hearts and minds with your goodness. Let us be so full that there is nothing but goodness that can overflow from our lips. Wash us and make us clean. Help us to be conscious of our Words, and to tame our tongues. Give us life in You. Make us brand new. We give you all the honor and glory and praise, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Today’s full reading: 2 Kings 17; 2 Chronicles 28; Psalm 46; James 3
Scripture References From Today’s Reflection:
- “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2
- “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” – Genesis 1:3
- “And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” – Genesis 1:6
- “And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘land,’ and the gathered waters he called ‘seas.’ And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” – Genesis 1:9-11
- “And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.” – Genesis 1:14,15
- “And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” – Genesis 1:20
- “And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” – Genesis 1:24
- “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1:26,27
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