Have you ever recognized how a kind or encouraging word can really change and brighten your day? The question is, how often do you receive or give that kind and encouraging word?
The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. (Isaiah 50:4)
The writers of the New Testament recognized that the Jesus Christ is the person speaking in this passage. Yes, I understand that the Prophet Isaiah spoke these words almost half a century before the birth of Jesus, but nonetheless, it is Jesus who embodies this statement and brings it to life. Jesus always seemed to have the time to consistently give encouraging and kind words to the people around him who needed it; whether it was to heal the disabled, or the passerby, or an enemy opposing his claim as the Messiah. The reason he did so was simple: God gave him a tongue to give life. He knew that there was life giving power in words that so often go underutilized, if used at all. Just think about this: God used words to bring the world to life. If we are created in God’s image, our words carry the same type of power as God’s words but we don’t use our words for the purposes God created. We don’t because it is much easier to chastise and to be negative than it is to encourage and be kind. It is much easier to throw a tantrum than it is to patiently endure. So we end up killing people with our words and breaking them apart. If we are really Jesus’ followers, and if Jesus used his words to build up and restore and not cut down and destroy, then shouldn’t we? Heavenly Father, we thank you for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, our sinless servant. May this good news bring strength to us as we pursue life in the midst of our pain and suffering. In Christs Name, Amen.
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