The power of words
"Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires," James 3:3-4.
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue," Proverbs 18:21.
To the wise of tongue,
What is one of the most powerful forces in the universe? ... Words! We all probably heard the saying, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." What a crock!
Words from a judge can mean life in prison, death in an electric chair, or freedom on the streets. Words from a government ruler can start a war or end it. Words from a parent can encourage and teach a child, or break his spirit and destroy his self esteem.
People are married and divorced, hired and fired, comforted or wounded, rallied or divided, organized or disorganized, empowered with vision or degraded and confused by the power of words!
Perhaps this is why Jesus said that we would give an account of every idle word that we speak (Matthew 12:36). Abraham Lincoln once said (I have been told), "It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
Today, let's be careful to choose our words carefully. Once we speak them, they can never really be taken back, and they can have eternal consequences!
Until God graces me to share again,
Randall Paul Pipes
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