Power of 10 - Day 10
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
The POWER of 10
Day 10 | HOW TO AVOID TROUBLES
The POWER of 10
Day 10 | HOW TO AVOID TROUBLES
HOW TO AVOID TROUBLES
Proverbs 21:23
“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps soul from troubles.”
In days past, people might say: “He stuck his foot in his mouth,” which conjures up a funny picture! But WORDS are more critical than most people – even Christians – often realize.
When I was a kid at school, we often heard, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
That old saying is simply NOT true. The reality is that words can HURT… and very deeply.
And the reason words DO impact us and others is because every human being is made in the image of God. And God – when He created the universe – did it all by SAYING words. “Let there be light,” and so on. His words were ALL powerful, and we are all made in His image. (No, we are NOT God and cannot do ALL He can do, but our words – positive or negative – DO make a difference.)
In today’s verse, Solomon was trying to tell his son (and all who read it) about being CAREFUL with what comes from our mouths.
The Bible has much to say about our words. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus reminds us, “…out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” The words we say and hear others say originate deep in our hearts from our thinking and thus FLOW out of our mouths.
And because words matter, we can use them to bless someone and make them feel better or to upset someone and make them mad. It is better to keep quiet (guarding your tongue) than to say everything that comes to your mind.
Prayer: LORD, thank You for making people in your image and for our gift of speech. Help me to use my words to BLESS others and guard me from using my words to do damage. Amen.
Proverbs 21:23
“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps soul from troubles.”
In days past, people might say: “He stuck his foot in his mouth,” which conjures up a funny picture! But WORDS are more critical than most people – even Christians – often realize.
When I was a kid at school, we often heard, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
That old saying is simply NOT true. The reality is that words can HURT… and very deeply.
And the reason words DO impact us and others is because every human being is made in the image of God. And God – when He created the universe – did it all by SAYING words. “Let there be light,” and so on. His words were ALL powerful, and we are all made in His image. (No, we are NOT God and cannot do ALL He can do, but our words – positive or negative – DO make a difference.)
In today’s verse, Solomon was trying to tell his son (and all who read it) about being CAREFUL with what comes from our mouths.
The Bible has much to say about our words. In Matthew 12:34 Jesus reminds us, “…out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” The words we say and hear others say originate deep in our hearts from our thinking and thus FLOW out of our mouths.
And because words matter, we can use them to bless someone and make them feel better or to upset someone and make them mad. It is better to keep quiet (guarding your tongue) than to say everything that comes to your mind.
Prayer: LORD, thank You for making people in your image and for our gift of speech. Help me to use my words to BLESS others and guard me from using my words to do damage. Amen.
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