When a toddler is mad at someone and wants to hurt them, they use their mouth to bite them. When they get a little older and they want to hurt someone, they say, “You’re not my best friend!” As they age a little more, they start name calling. Then the preteen and teen years come and the put downs start. It’s not long before they’re married, and when they get into an argument with their spouse, they use their words to attack the vulnerabilities of the person they love most in the world. No one has to teach us to use words to hurt. It starts at a very young age and if we don’t learn to control that urge, we’ll leave a lot of hurting people in our wake.
In Genesis 37, Joseph shared his God given dream with his brothers. Verse 8 says, “His brothers responded, ‘So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them” (NLT). Their put downs of Joseph turned into murmuring among themselves about Joseph. Those words became a breeding ground for bitterness and hate until finally they decided to kill him. Instead they sold him into slavery for 14 years until God raised him up to be second in command of Egypt which saved his family. When they realized it was him, they were scared. But in Genesis 50:20, he spoke kindness to them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” His words restored the relationship.
Ephesians 4:29 says, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” You and I have a choice every day of how to use our words. We can use them to tear people down or to build them up. In this passage, Paul leads up to this verse telling us as believers to not lie or to sin when we get angry. Instead of using our words in anger towards someone, we must learn to edify. The power of life and death is in the words you use. Don’t go shooting it off just because you’re mad, angry or upset. Think about how your words will be interpreted and the ramifications of what you say because once words get past your lips, you can never get them back. Make it a habit to praise the people around you and watch lives change including yours.
Photo by Sujal Patel on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 