Tag: positive speech

“What Would Jesus Say?” – part 1

Leave a comment

“The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” Isaiah 50:4

Words, despite the children’s poems we recite, we know and have more than likely experienced the stinging effect of the wrong words spoken at the wrong time.  We know that just as easily as words can build, they can also tear down and hurt the receiver of them.

One thing is certain, our world is full of words and full of people who like to use words.  The human language and the ability to communicate with one another is a beautiful thing.  It is when we mar that beauty with unrighteous speech rolling off our tongues and flowing from our mouths that we get into trouble.

People have practiced communication skills for centuries, and yet, when it comes to the daily application of speech, sometimes we falter and do not use the words that God has given us in a healthy and productive manner.

If we are going to learn how to use the tongue healthily, the best example is that of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus had all the right words at the right time.  He knew how to speak compassion when it was needed most.  He knew how to speak conviction in truth without berating another.  And Jesus knew how to speak life.

In Isaiah 50:4, we see the prophesied Servant, whom we know to be the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ talking about the words He uses and the way He uses them to speak.  There He says, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak. . .” 

Never do we see Jesus in the Bible using words in a frivolous or lackadaisical manner.  Words and how they are used are powerful, and Jesus, just as His Father, knew the value of words and used them as such.  To Him, everything that came out of His mouth was to be treated carefully.

Jesus’ heart was always, and I do mean always, to do the will of the Father (John 6:38).  In everything, right down to going to the cross, God’s will was His number one priority (Luke 22:42).  With the will of God governing His whole life and ministry, even the words He spoke had to be what “The Lord GOD hath given me.” 

In Isaiah, that which was given is described as “the tongue of the learned;” as one who had been taught by God what to say and how to say it.  One can speak something that is true, but how the message is delivered can affect how another receives it.

In John 12:49-50, Jesus said, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.  And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.”  Jesus, even in His speech, sought to bring glory and honor to the Father.

Through this, we see that Jesus was very strategic with the words He uses.  In this part, we have learned that Jesus is our best example in valuing words and in understanding the importance of using speech that is not only healthy but also God-honoring.  Jesus treated the words He spoke very carefully, and we should too.

In the days coming, we are going to explore this verse further in two more parts of this three-part mini-series.  May we learn what God wants us to say and how to say it, so that we, too,  may have “the tongue of the learned” relating to one another in speech even as Jesus did, so that we will know how to speak. 

This three-part mini-series is adapted from a Sunday School Lesson I previously published titled 4 Ways to Use Words Better.  You can click on that link if you are looking for a deeper study on this topic.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com articles/lessons/worksheets may not be copied or redistributed without the express written permission of WordforLifeSays.com.  Please see the COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.  Blessings to you.

Please Note: Ads below or referenced on this site are prefabricated and mass-produced (of which I currently have no control over) and DO NOT necessarily represent the views and/or beliefs of this site and its admin.

Advertisement

Loving Others With Our Mouths

Leave a comment

“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic).  See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.

Wholesome Words, Wholesome Life

2 Comments

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life . . .” Proverbs 15:4

Oh, my friend, how careful are we to put good things into our bodies? Wholesome foods, filled with nutrition, that will nourish us from the inside out. There is no doubt for us that making good choices concerning the foods we eat affects our overall health and well-being.

To be strong, to be the best version of ourselves, we work diligently to supply this life with the things that are beneficial to us, things that are good, and things that promote health.

What of the words we speak from our mouths and the words we take into our souls?

The words we speak have power. Proverbs 18:21 plainly tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” What we are speaking impacts our lives. How and where we direct our words will affect what is produced from them. The things we speak from us will determine what will be filled within us: “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled” (Proverbs 18:20).

What we speak not only impacts others who hear our words, they impact ourselves when we hear what we say. What we speak feeds us. What we say comes back into our own hearing and seeps its way into our innermost being. If we are wondering why this or that keeps happening, start monitoring the words you are speaking into your own environment, into your own life. “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health” (Proverbs 12:18).

So, too, do the words we allow to come into our space, into our hearing, affect us. When the Bible teaches “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21), that mindfulness to guard words is not limited to what comes out of our mouths, but we are to be aware of what is coming from the mouth of others, from their tongues, that we are allowing to infiltrate our world.

Constantly opening ourselves to words of negativity and unwholesome speech can influence how we live and how we think. Unwholesome speech can be poisonous to the life that is trying to live holy and healthy, to the life that wants to produce good fruits.

This is why Paul encourages us: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). To have a wholesome and spiritually healthy life, these are the things you want to hear. These are the things you give permission to enter the space of your hearing and thinking.

Wholesome words make a difference to a wholesome life. Guard your space and satisfy yourself with the good things that are developed and produced from good words. Good words are healthy. Good words build up. Good words restore. Invest in yourself, your space, and your life with the benefits of good words.

Copyright © Word For Life Says.com (Sharing any posts or lessons can only be done through the share buttons provided on this site from the original posts, lessons, and articles only. You can reblog from the original posts only using the reblog button provided, or share using the share buttons provided from these social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, etc., and they must be shared from the original posts only. All other repostings are prohibited. Posts and other items of interest found on this site MAY NOT BE COPIED AND PASTED, downloaded, uploaded, etc to another website or entity not listed (physical or electronic).  See COPYRIGHT PAGE for more details.