What kinds of things do you say? Are there any subjects, words, or ideas you have determined not to talk about? I hope so. Boundaries are good to have in a physical sense as in, “Good fences make good neighbors”. They are good to have in our relationships. And where words are concerned, it is vital that we have boundaries that we observe when speaking to others and to ourselves. We should be in the habit of speaking good things to our family members, friends, and neighbors. In every situation, we should try to find a positive thing to say, something uplifting or encouraging.
Your words can be cleansing, or they can make you feel dirty or ashamed. Jesus said to the Pharisees that it’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth. Paul the Apostle says that our conversation is in heaven. He also says to let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
The focus of our story this week is more about what is not said than it is about what is said. There is much more power than you can imagine in what is not said. Sometimes a circumstance leads you to think that the worst is about to happen, and it could be that everyone around you is thinking the same thing. But the majority is usually wrong. When Israel came to the Promised Land, Caleb was right, and the majority was wrong. When Noah built the ark, he was right and everyone else was wrong. When the disciples said to Jesus in the storm, “we are perishing”, the majority was wrong, and our Lord was right.
Do your words echo the majority or do they echo what Jesus says? Do they sound like what a lost world would say, or do they line up with the ideas and principles of the scriptures? Your words, like our Lord’s, make things happen and cause people and situations to move and change. It’s the creative power of God. What are you building and what are you tearing down with your words?