Who Knows?

May 19

Let thy words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2

There's a good laugh for you--your blogger, overflowing with words, stating a scripture that counsels us to use words minimally. I'm chuckling myself.

There is a reality about words—they cannot be retracted. Once they're spoken they are forever 'out there' somewhere—in a heart, in a mind, in a life—sometimes doing incalculable good, for the LIVING WORD, GOD, cannot fail and cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) tells us that a word fitly spoken is like "apples of gold," Proverbs 25:11. Something to refresh and to bless. Those aren't the words we should be spare in extending, for the Lord would always have us to be lifting and blessing others with our words--and especially, with HIS WORD!

It's with words of criticism, accusation, fault-finding, discouragement—those negative barbs that, even as we say them, we know they are meant to undermine and to hurt the one to whom they're being spoken, (Psalm 19:14)--that we should be quite spare in speaking them. Wisdom counsels us against using such missiles, even against our enemies. Though the other person may say things that will be regretted later, let us hold our tongue and seal our lips against unkindness.

It is far better to remain silent in the heat of a disagreement than to utter disparaging words, for those words never help anything. They are tools of demolition—as wrecking balls destroy a building, so ill-thought-out words wreck the opportunity to improve our circumstances. Instead of retaliating with words that wound—even if such words have been hurled at us—let us respond with words that uplift, that encourage, that build, that HONOR CHRIST, for HE would never allow negative words to cross His lips.

When He spoke to thieves, to prostitutes, to a man who assented to murder (Saul, who became Paul), His words were of encouragement and forgiveness. Like Him, we must allow kindness to prevail in all our speech. If we have negative words to say, let them be reserved only for those who distort and twist the truth of God—and even as we speak them, let their intent, as were Christ's when He spoke to Paul (Acts 9:4) be to open blind eyes and to soften hard hearts.

In every situation that we face, may we allow JESUS to use us to do a work in the hearts and minds and spirits of those with whom we commune. Let our words be few—and let those words we do speak be to HIS GLORY. Who knows but that perhaps through our allowing the Lord to manifest His kindness and love through us, a soul will be turned from darkness to light, from error to truth, from self-righteousness to Christ's wondrous righteousness. Who knows!