Daily Devotional

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That was the rhyme that we as kids always said when others would make fun of us. But the truth is words do hurt, words are damaging and destructive, and often do much more harm than we as the speaker realize. Physical pain will usually last a short while, but harsh words spoken by someone else to you can linger in your mind for years. Even words said with good intentions, when said the wrong way, or at the wrong time, or without the right context can sting and have lasting repercussions for a very long time. It’s no wonder then that the Bible encourages us to “tame our tongue.”

As Christians we need to be especially careful that our words not only not harm people, but also not harm our witness. God is love, and we are to love others as Christ loves us, not tear each other down with words. Ask yourself, is what I’m about to say going to edify and impart grace to the one I’m speaking to? Life this side of Heaven is frustrating to be sure, and often the actions of others, intentional or not, can cause us to lose control of our tongue and lash out. But we are called to a higher standard. We are called to put away that speech and rather speak with love and forgiveness that Christ may be glorified through our actions.

So let me challenge you this week to be very thoughtful as to what you say to others. Always remember it’s not simply what you say, but how what you say can be taken, whether that was your intention or not. I often tell people to be careful when texting people as there is no tone, inflection, or emotion conveyed in text alone. And it is left entirely to the other person’s imagination how to perceive those things. Remember that with your speech you have the power to build up or destroy. Choose the former, choose love and forgiveness and give the rest over to God.

New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.