What's in a Word?

In the book of Jeremiah, we find an exhortation that can challenge us to be faithful to speak God's Word; we can read in chapter 23 of that book:
(28) he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the Lord.
29 "Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
30 "Therefore behold, I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who steal My words every one from his neighbor.
31 Behold, I am against the prophets," says the Lord, "who use their tongues and say, 'He says.'

If you are going to say, "thus saith the Lord," you'd better make sure that you're speaking what He is saying.  And in order for us to speak God's truth, we have to know God's truth - His Word should be part of the very fiber of our being, foremost in our minds, and governing what we think, say, and do. The Word of God will transform us from the works of darkness into the practice of light and show us the very heart of the Lord - our minds have been given great capacity to process His truth, in order that our spirits might be made alive by His Spirit.

+++++

It's been said that words are containers - words have meaning, and can build up or tear down, bring us closer to Christ or drive us away. We can strive to make God's words our own. Psalm 119 states:
130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments.
132 Look upon me and be merciful to me, As Your custom is toward those who love Your name.
133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

Josh wanted to do something nice for his girlfriend, so being a Silicon Valley software developer, he came up with a game for her to play, since "she likes word games," according to a story at TIME Magazine. He put it online for others to experience and spent about $100 a month to keep it there.  He said, "If I’d been trying to make a viral game I think it would be very different.”

It became a viral game, though - according to TIME, Josh Wardle's labor of love was being played by around 90 people on November 1, but "By the end of December, there were 300,000. During the month of January, the number swelled beyond 10 million, that kind of acceleration that creates its own weather." On January 31, Wardle sold his creation, called, "Wordle," for a sum estimated in the "low-seven figures."

When you go to Wordle or its numerous imitations, the purpose is simple: guess the pre-determined five-letter word.  You are given 30 boxes, 30 blank boxes, every day.  You type in a word on the first line to get started and work your way through adding or eliminating the letters to guess your word.  You have six tries. And, if you get your Wordle for the day, you can post your roadmap - how you got there - online, without letters, of course.

There are numerous theories about why Wordle is so popular.  An Insider article said:

British psychologist Lee Chambers, who specializes in environmental and well-being coaching, told Insider that Wordle was so appealing because it stimulated both the language- and logic-processing areas of our brains. Like all games, it also leads to a release of dopamine, a hormone that allows us to feel pleasure and satisfaction.

He also notes: "Constantly seeing the squares in our Twitter feed indicates that there is something to be solved, and others are on the case," adding, "It pulls us into investigating it ourselves."  Wardle and Chambers mentioned the communal nature of the game. The Insider article also said:

Harrison Gowland, a video-game developer, said he didn't share the results for other online games he played. But with Wordle, he felt the desire to do so.

"There's both a sense of community in terms of 'How difficult did people find it this time?' and a competitive angle in terms of 'How well did I stack up in finding this word compared to everyone else?'" he said.

One of the imitations of Wordle has come from none other than the Southern Baptist Convention, in its effort to find a fun way to promote its upcoming annual meeting in California.  Baptist Press reports:

After their daily time in the Word, Southern Baptists can now spend a little time figuring out the daily word.

The SBC Executive Committee has unveiled a website patterned after Wordle, the hugely popular word game purchased late last month by the New York Times for an undisclosed seven-figure sum.

Patrick Watts of Lifeway Christian Resources developed the SBC version.  He is quoted as saying:

“It’s not important,” he said. “But it gets your mind focused on what we have to do (at the meeting).

“There will be words in here that will connect to things that will be happening at the annual meeting or people that will be at the annual meeting or things that we want to happen at the annual meeting.

“If everyone’s playing [Wordle] without a purpose, it’s good to have people playing with a purpose.”

Upon seeing the article, I went to the SBC Wordle - the word for that day: FAITH.

I certainly think that the SBC will have some important business to handle when it convenes in Anaheim, California this summer; so, pray for God's direction, that leadership would be attuned to the Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit.

You know, the human brain is a wonderful thing, a complex creation of God - through it, we can encounter Him, and we can think logically, make rational decisions, gain knowledge, and experience emotion.  The mind is the gateway for spiritual matters, so making right choices regarding what we think about is crucial to experiencing God's best.  The brain represents yet another way in which we are, as Psalm 139 states, "fearfully and wonderfully made."

We can also recognize the power of God's Word.  His words were spoken at creation, and magnificent things occurred because God spoke them.  The Word of God can be more than just words on a page - as the Bible relates, the entrance of His words, which are described as "living and active," can bring light, producing wisdom and understanding in the minds and hearts of believers in Him.

Words are an incredible tool that God uses to teach us more about Himself - and we have a great capacity to absorb and understand words. When we read and study Scripture and are exposed to sound Bible teaching, such as what you hear on Faith Radio, our lives can truly be changed.  As we meditate on God's Word, we can experience dynamic spiritual growth and find that our minds are renewed and our wisdom is increased.