January 18 I Wednesday

Genesis 43-45

Matthew 12:24-50

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”    —John 1:1

A famous person once said, “Give me 26 lead soldiers and I will conquer the world.” Who are these lead soldiers? The English alphabet, which we use to create words to communicate, and words have tremendous power.

       The most powerful instrument we each possess beyond our wealth and position is our words, or the tongue. It is a power every one of us wields each day. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Our tongue has the power of life—a positive, constructive power—as well as the power of death—a negative, destructive power. With the tongue, we can make others laugh or make others cry; we can encourage people or discourage people; we can build people up or tear people down; we can refresh people or intimidate people; we can uplift people or condemn people; we can build marriages or destroy marriages; we can develop friendships or break friendships.

       Some of us may have grown up hearing the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This saying is designed to say, “it does not matter what you say,” but that cannot be further from the truth because we all know how words can cause us deep hurt. While sticks and stones simply hit the exterior, words go into the inner part of a person. Proverbs 12:18 says, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

       It is interesting that God chooses to change lives by the power of the tongue. The channel by which God meets and does things in our life again and again is through words. In fact, the greatest gift that God gave us is His Son, which John describes as “the Word” (John 1:1).

       If Proverbs says that reckless words pierce like a sword, the New Testament tells us the Word of God is also like a sword. “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is a double-edged sword that will not only pierce but also divide our soul and spirit, judging our heart, because the Spirit of God energizes it. As the Word is in us who are Christians, may we be mindful of the sword that we each possess and be intentional with its use for the glory of God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank You for giving us Your Son, the perfect Word. Make me mindful of the sword that I possess and help me be intentional with each word that I speak. Amen!