WORDS
| Words affect our world continually.
When an angry person walks in the room and says a few words, everyone
becomes tense. A few careless and hurtful words can destroy, or at the
very least seriously damage, a relationship, as most of us can testify.
Words can also work miracles. Genesis 1 tells us that ‘God said….and it was.’ Creation was accomplished by the power of His words. In the same way words can encourage the downcast, comfort the sorrowing and calm the fearful. Thy is why David wrote: “Who is the man who desires life and length of days? …keep your tongue from evil.” Your tongue determines the quality of your life. The Rabbis have suggested that God designed the tongue to reflect its function. It is hidden from view but through it the hidden things of our hearts are revealed. This calls to mind the verse from Matthew 12 In which Yeshua declared, “… For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man out of {his} good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of {his} evil treasure brings forth what is evil. And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned." Vs. 34-37 This teaching of the Rabbi from Nazareth echoed the centuries old teaching within Judaism of the importance before God of how we speak. Careless words – words spoken without caring how they will affect others – are condemned and we will have to give an account. This ought to be a sobering warning of how seriously God views our use of the precious gift of speech that He has given us. By Barbara Richmond
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