Dec 11 – Careless Words
But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Stop! Think before you speak. Did you know that God holds us accountable for careless words?
A friend of mine owned a local dress shop which I often patronized. I went in her shop recently and found my friend very upset. She said to me, “You won’t believe what I just said. A lady that I know was just here. I said to her that I had found the perfect dress for her. I knew it would fit her. It was as big as a barn.” My friend was horrified that she had spoken such careless words without thinking. Once harsh words are spoken you cannot take them back. The lady turned around and walked out of the store, no doubt in tears. We can hurt someone deeply with the words we speak, and often it is unintentional on our part.
Matthew 12:34 teaches us that “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” If we permit wrong thoughts to dwell in our hearts, we will ultimately speak them. Whatever is hidden in our hearts will sooner or later be expressed openly through our mouths. Through every stage of our life, we need to make a commitment to love with our words and to build confidence in others. Every word we speak can be a brick to build with or a bulldozer to destroy.
Remember, words are seeds; they are containers for power. They carry creative or destructive power and they produce a good harvest or a bad harvest in your life and in the lives of those you love. We are accountable to God for our words.
Our Heavenly Father: I humbly bow before you and ask for Your guidance in speaking only kind words that show love. Teach me to think before I speak. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Peggy Strain