James 3:10
NLT
And so blessing
and cursing come pouring out of
the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!
Romans 15:2
NLT
We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
You
have heard some of these saying before: “watch what you say”, “if you can’t say
anything nice, don’t say nothing at all”, “choose your words carefully”. The fact is words hurt.
I am
working on a series of sermons that I will preach later this year, and it has
been so overwhelming in the last few days that the words that we use often hurt
more than we know. Words last longer
than our presence does. Words often cut
a person and stick in our minds. They
come back up a lot.
Yet if
we chose to build people up, those words will stick too and build people up
more than we know. Have you noticed that
often the harshest words we use are pointed at the people that are closest to
us? These are the people who live with
us and care about us the most.
Everyone
needs to be built up. Honest words build
up people too. Think about the words
that need to be said to the people closest to you. Sometimes those words aren’t easy to share
but so needed. They come with intentions
to help and not hurt. When we check our
motives and our intentions, our words can be chosen to help those we are
talking to.
Think
back through the last few conversations you have had. Were you words hurtful or helpful? Helpful words come from a heart that is
caring and cautious. Hurtful words come
from a heart that is often callous and cold.
The first verse above says that hurtful and helpful words shouldn’t come
from the same person.
I
desire to build people up and not tear them down. Understanding that words hurt when we use
them incorrectly will change much in me and in the people that I communicate
with.
May
God mold us and our conversations so that our words help and not hurt others.
I
close today by drawing your attention to a book I recently started that speaks
to the names we’ve been called or the labels that people have given us. It is Your Secret Name by Kary
Oberbrunner, and this would be a great resource for you to learn from.
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