Consider the powerful force of the words you utter. Discipline yourself to speak in a way that conveys respect, gentleness and humility. One of the clearest sign of a moral life is right speech. Perfecting your speech is one of the keystones of mature people. Before speaking take a few moments to contemplate what you will say and how you will say it; while considering the impact those words will have on those listening.
Speak words that are a source of encouragement to all who listen. Many people are compelled to give voice to any passing thought they have. They randomly dump the contents of their mind out without regards to what they are saying. Gossiping about others is waste of your communication on unimportant stuff. Always remember that you are accountable for your words (good or bad).
·
“The
tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (Proverbs
18:21, NLT)
· “The best time for you to hold your tongue is the time you
feel you must say something or bust.” (Josh
Billings)
Why is it crucial to not be carless with spoken (or
written) words? If you aren’t doing this, important relationships in your life
can be devastated.
·
“It’s like when we
place a metal bit into a horse’s mouth to ride it; we can control its entire
body with the slightest movement of
our hands. Have you ever seen a massive ship sailing effortlessly across the water?
Despite its immense size and
the fact that it is propelled by mighty winds, a small rudder directs the ship
in any direction the pilot chooses. It’s just the same with our
tongues! It’s a small muscle, capable of marvelous undertakings.
And do you know how
many forest fires begin with a single
ember from a small campfire? The tongue is a blazing fire seeking to ignite an
entire world of vices. The tongue is unique among all parts of the body because
it is capable of corrupting the whole body. If that were not enough, it ignites and consumes the course of creation with a fuel that originates
in hell itself.
Humanity is capable
of taming every bird and beast in existence, even reptiles and sea creatures great and small. But
no man has ever demonstrated the ability to tame his own tongue! It is a spring
of restless evil, brimming with toxic poisons.
Ironically this same tongue can be both an instrument of blessing to our Lord and Father and a weapon that hurls curses upon
others who are created in God’s own image. One mouth streams forth both
blessings and curses. My brothers and sisters, this is not how it should be.” (James 3:3-10, VOICE)
· “A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the
tongue you may never get over.” (Benjamin
Franklin)
“Throughout human history, our greatest
leaders and thinkers have used the power of words to transform our emotions, to
enlist us in their causes, and to shape the course of destiny. Words can not
only create emotions, they create actions. And from our actions flow the
results of our lives.” (Tony
Robbins)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Redemptive Communication: The
Power of Words” (installment one) Sunday, July 30, 2017 Elder Ryan
Edwards, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH
No comments:
Post a Comment