29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
We can be encouraged to check our own words. A real challenge is to think before we speak and consider the impact of our words. Our goal with our speech should be to glorify Christ and to reflect the leadership of the Holy Spirit. So, we weigh our words carefully and allow the Spirit to direct us. Words are powerful and can be used to bring life and hope, to build people up and to encourage them in their faith. But, the wrong words can bring less than God's best into a situation. So, we can be challenged to allow God's love to flow through us and bring life to our words.
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God is calling us to be people of comfort and encouragement, as we reflect the nature of Christ in the words that we speak. Romans 15 says:
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are on Twitter very often, you may have noticed recently there was a trending topic called, "#EncourageEveryonein4Words." A website I discovered called, Liftbump reported on the trend and said:
Another area included celebrating today's little victories. A picture of a snuggly cat accompanied the tweet, "Monday is almost over." And, there were some words from old TV shows, including a tribute to Spock, played by the late Leonard Nimoy, with the memorable words, "Live long and prosper."
There were also tributes to food, such as "There is always pizza," and "Bacon makes it better." And, there was a tweet that said, "Don't worry be happy!"
The short article, full of examples, said that, "This trending topic shows us that — while the angles of doing so may vary drastically — it only takes four words to encourage someone."
It is true, sometimes short words of encouragement can make a strong impression. And, it can take more effort to make our words count that to get caught up in the multiplicity of words. One thing we can be challenged to do is to carefully consider our words and realize that in all we say, think, or do we represent Christ. We can become ensnared by the words of our mouth and if we're not careful, end up saying things that are counterproductive.
The report of this recent social media trend can also help us to think about the power of encouragement. God calls us to speak words that bring life and that can build others us, and we can seek to lift others up when our words are aligned with the truth of His Word.
So, today, what 4 words would or could you use to bring encouragement? I think about these words, based on what the apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 12: "His strength is perfect." We can reflect on God's presence in our lives with a simple, "God is with us." And, the essence of the gospel message can be communicated through the words, "God loved the world," a reference to John 3:16.
It can be a fun and instructive exercise to boil down gospel truth into 4-word phrases. Not being overly simplistic, mind you. But, in this world of fast-paced social media communication, we can look for creative and impactful ways to bring truth into the consciousness of the people with whom we interact.
4 For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you are on Twitter very often, you may have noticed recently there was a trending topic called, "#EncourageEveryonein4Words." A website I discovered called, Liftbump reported on the trend and said:
The power of social media never ceases to amaze. The now-trending #EncourageEveryonein4Words hashtag is showing how easy it is to lift someone up.
However, it appears that people take the idea of encouraging words in many different directions.Areas identified included: providing words of love and wisdom, such as a tweet from a Veterans group saying, "You are not alone," and one from the Yellow Day movie, "Let go; let God."
Another area included celebrating today's little victories. A picture of a snuggly cat accompanied the tweet, "Monday is almost over." And, there were some words from old TV shows, including a tribute to Spock, played by the late Leonard Nimoy, with the memorable words, "Live long and prosper."
There were also tributes to food, such as "There is always pizza," and "Bacon makes it better." And, there was a tweet that said, "Don't worry be happy!"
The short article, full of examples, said that, "This trending topic shows us that — while the angles of doing so may vary drastically — it only takes four words to encourage someone."
It is true, sometimes short words of encouragement can make a strong impression. And, it can take more effort to make our words count that to get caught up in the multiplicity of words. One thing we can be challenged to do is to carefully consider our words and realize that in all we say, think, or do we represent Christ. We can become ensnared by the words of our mouth and if we're not careful, end up saying things that are counterproductive.
The report of this recent social media trend can also help us to think about the power of encouragement. God calls us to speak words that bring life and that can build others us, and we can seek to lift others up when our words are aligned with the truth of His Word.
So, today, what 4 words would or could you use to bring encouragement? I think about these words, based on what the apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians 12: "His strength is perfect." We can reflect on God's presence in our lives with a simple, "God is with us." And, the essence of the gospel message can be communicated through the words, "God loved the world," a reference to John 3:16.
It can be a fun and instructive exercise to boil down gospel truth into 4-word phrases. Not being overly simplistic, mind you. But, in this world of fast-paced social media communication, we can look for creative and impactful ways to bring truth into the consciousness of the people with whom we interact.
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