WORDS, WORDS, WORDS
June 08, 2021
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Word that directs me to your thinking. Help me to focus on your character so that all my words are holy, acceptable unto you. Amen.
Scripture: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Psalm 19:15 KJV
Recently, this daily thought was featured in “Sweet Tea for the Soul,” a devotional book published by DaySpring, “Many people believe they are good, but good without God is irreconcilable.” I had to pause and think deeply about what these words implied. The words we choose to encourage others matters; however, the intentionality behind those words also matters. Do the words we use seek to promote God’s thoughts or do they lead the hearer to seek answers within himself or herself?
In education, we seek to promote positive actions and thinking in the lives of students. As I walked through my school one day, I stopped to read the positive words plastered everywhere:
“We carry with us, as human beings, not just the capacity to be kind, but the very choice of kindness.” – R.J. Polacio, Wonder
“Everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their life because we all overcometh the world.” – August Pullman’s Precept, Wonder
“What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful.” – Shappo
These were beautiful, encouraging, and lovely words. But then I stopped to think about the message behind the thoughts espoused in those words. Do they direct the reader to reliance on and devotion to God, or do they encourage humanism: self-reliance apart from God?
This quote from an unknown author causes me to pause and think every time, “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” By what rubric is “right” measured — right based on the world’s system of morals and values or on God’s Holy Word? As the world moves further away from God’s truth, humanism grows on the back of beautiful, encouraging, lovely words.
Thinking about the quotes above in light of God’s Word, we can do nothing without God, even choose to be kind (John 15:5). Overcoming the world and all the challenges we face is a beautiful thing, but only those who believe Jesus is the Son of God will one day overcome the world (1 John 5:4, 5), and none of us is good apart from God because there is none good but God (Mark 10:18). And finally, “Every way of a man is right in their own eyes, but the Lord pondereth the heart” (Proverbs 21:2 KJV), which brings me back to the opening quotation, “good without God is irreconcilable.”
How can we, as Christian educators, reconcile our words before a Holy God? We can intentionally seek wise words and phrases that connect to the Word of God and promote His thinking — words that point others to God. Oh that all our words will point others to Him!
| Positive Words | Biblical Connection |
| “It’s not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend.” (Wonder, 2012) | “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” Pro. 18:24 KJV |
| “Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish so much.” – Blaise Pascal | “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Pro. 25:11 KJV |
Copyright by Tonie Weddle. Email [email protected]
Thank you Tonie – this is so important to remember as we navigate the stormy waters we’re in these days!
Blessings!
Laurie
Thank you for todays devotional. It was encouraging and inspiring that I continually need to think on God’s Word and apply it to my life.
Thank you for this devotion. I must lead a devotion very soon which will be about the power of words as I open a day of Language Arts workshop for a group of K-12 teachers from various Christian schools. I appreciated this devotion very much.
Thank you for your encouraging words. It is a blessing to see the Lord is at work. Blessings to you.