WEEK 32 – DAY 5

MAY I SPEAK GRACIOUSLY

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Ephesians 4:29

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” WRONG! Words can and do hurt. Some words leave emotional scars that last a lifetime. And the hard truth is once words leave your mouth, you cannot suck them back in. They have sunk deep into their target, and like poisoned darts may cause a festering wound inside their victim. James wrote, “…but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). Unwholesome words are going to pop into our minds when we are angry, hurt, or disappointed; but we do not have to release the venomous words that boil up in our thoughts. With the grace of God, we can choose to hold our tongues. That brings up another mental picture. In chapel at Glenview Christian School the children used to sing a song about keeping your tongues from evil and your lips from speaking lies (I Peter 3:10). Then they would attempt to sing it while literally holding their tongues. Pretty hard to do, and I shutter to think that sometimes after that exercise the worship leader would have them hold hands on a different song, a germ nightmare! I cannot literally hold onto my tongue to keep from speaking harsh words, but I can do something that, at first, may be equally difficult. I can pause and offer a silent prayer that God will only allow those words out of my mouth that will benefit the hearer. Better yet, I can begin each morning with a prayer that the Lord will help me to think about my words and choose them carefully throughout the day.

Lord, please help our words to be edifying to the hearer. Help us to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger (James 1:19); so that we can take time to choose our words with Your glory and the benefit of the hearer in mind.