If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. James 1:26 (NLT)
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.Prov. 12:18 (ESV)
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col. 4:6 (NIV)
The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.Luke 6:45 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, these Scriptures make it clear: Nothing has greater potential for good and evil than our words—both in the conversations we carry on in our hearts, and the communications we share during the day. This is both sobering and encouraging. Sobering, for obvious reasons. We don’t want to contradict our love for you by an irresponsible use of our words. We don’t want to speak like a man “thrusting a sword”; we want our words to bring healing, grace and life.
That’s where the encouragement comes in. Whatever fills our hearts will shape our words. So before we have our first interaction with anyone today, Father, we will set our mind, heart and affection on you. Fill our hearts so full of your grace it will be difficult to shame, hurt, or marginalize anyone today.
So who are we, as your beloved children? Father, with your everlasting love and tenderness you drew us to yourself; by your kindness you led us to repentance and with unbreakable cords of love you keep us. In Jesus, we’re as forgiven and righteous, desired and enjoyed, known and secure, as we’ll ever be. Praise your holy and generous name!
Nothing we can do can separate us from your love, cause you to regret saving us, or put you in a bad mood towards us. Your love is the most dependable and unwavering thing in our lives.
Nothing can alter your gospelicious plan for our lives, or for the entire cosmos. From the overflow of such amazing grace, we will purpose to speak to others, and ourselves, today. May our words be even 3% as kind as the gospel is awesome. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ great and gracious name.
