Choose Your Words Wisely

In Proverbs 18, we find two verses that can serve to remind us about the power of what we say:
20 From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. 21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.  There is great power in the words that we speak, and the Bible tells us in James 1 that we are to be slow to speak and quick to listen.    If we take a moment to weigh the consequences of our words, and really rely on the Holy Spirit to guide our tongues, then I believe we will walk and speak in a manner more pleasing to God and more peaceful with others.   The tongue has power, but the Spirit of the Lord has more, and He will enable us to speak words that honor Him and reflect His character in our lives.  In Colossians 3, we read a list of behaviors that do not please God, many of them involving our mouths: 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
We can look at New Year's Day as a "reset" button for our lives - the old year has gone, and we can begin to set goals for a new time period - we can leave behind what is not pleasing to God and purpose to make a fresh start with Him.   A significant amount of the sin in our lives comes as a result of what we say, which is an expression, according to Jesus, of what is in our hearts.   And, our hearts can be renewed by the power of God's Word and the presence of His Spirit.   By His power, we can choose to speak words that are consistent with His character within us.

Ephesians 4 really can give us some powerful principles to consider at the beginning of a new year:
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.


The greatly anticipated 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness has been released by Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

The list is compiled from nominations sent to the school throughout the year and is released each year on New Year's Eve.   It dates back to Dec. 31, 1975, when former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe (RAY-bee) and some colleagues cooked up the whimsical idea to banish overused words and phrases from the language. They issued the first list on New Year's Day 1976. Much to the delight of word enthusiasts everywhere, the list has stayed the course into a fourth decade.

The 12 words or phrases chosen for this year are:
Fiscal Cliff
Kick the Can Down the Road
Double Down
Job Creators/Creation
Passion/Passionate
YOLO (You Only Live Once)
Spoiler Alert
Bucket List
Trending
Superfood
Boneless Wings
Guru

I can see how many of these words are overused, words we really don't want to hear again - I certainly could do without hearing Fiscal Cliff again, but I do think the word, "Passion" will be redeemed when tens of thousands of young adults gather in ATL tomorrow.    I am surprised more acronymns (like YOLO) didn't make the list, but in this world of social media and texting, you may see a few more.

I was thinking how this list of overused words can really bring to mind how we need to choose our words wisely.   There is a human tendency to say things without really weighing our words or regarding how they will affect other people.   We limit ourselves in our communication because we simply don't take the time to think it through or to allow the Holy Spirit to guide our speech.

Interestingly enough, I was also reading a list of people who have chosen words wisely, because they only have 140 characters to make a statement.    The Christian Post has a list of Top 10 Christian Tweets of 2012.   #1 - there he is again: Tim Tebow.   He has over 2 million followers on Twitter, and sent this tweet out:

"Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, THANK GOD." 25,673 Retweets (Oct 4, 2012)

In the #2 position, it's RevRun, formerly known as rapper Run-DMC.  At #3, it's Masters winner Bubba Watson.  #4, Christian hip-hop artist LeCrae, and at #5, Olympic gold medalist, gymnast Gabby Douglas, who tweeted out:   

"Thank you guys for everything! I am SO grateful God has truly blessed me! Remember to ALWAYS give him the glory for he is GREAT!" 9,564 Retweets (Aug. 3, 2012)

Now, there are some examples of efficient words, designed to bring glory to God!    And, isn't that the calling of all us - to use our words wisely and efficiently, so that the Savior in us will be glorified.   Use your words to exalt Christ and exhort others.