The Importance of Words

The Bible is unambiguous about how important our words are. The unique thing about words is that they affect not only the HEARERS but the SPEAKER as well. We would do well to not only read these verses but to meditate upon them.

Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim. (Pro 15:4 MSG) Words can cut and maim or they can heal and comfort. Words can be constructive and informative, lending courage and information to the hearer.

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—and how good is a timely word! (Pro 15:23 NIV) If we make positive, uplifting remarks it brings us joy and is received as a benefit by the hearer.

By his fruitful speech a man can remain satisfied, and a man’s handiwork will reward him. (Pro 12:14 ISV) When our words bear the fruit of encouragement, peace, and joy, we will eventually earn a reputation as an encourager and a person full of faith.

Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips. (Pro 24:26 NIV) Honest words, spoken in love, carry a blessing to the spirit of the hearer.

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. ¹²As an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover to an obedient ear. (Pro 25:11-12 MEV) Those who wish to please God and be good examples to others should speak the whole truth, utter appropriate praise, reflect wisdom, and edify the listeners; these words will always be “fitly (properly) spoken.”

Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for edification according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Eph 4:29 NASB) This verse reminds us that we should not speak any nasty or unpleasant words. Instead, our words should edify (enlighten, improve, inform) the listeners so that those who hear will be honored, enhanced, or blessed.

As we honor God’s Word by obeying it, the Lord will show His pleasure and bless us in ways that we can’t imagine. Spread kind, life-giving words wherever you go today. Praise the Lord!

Why Forgiveness is Important

Jesus is our perfect example in all things, and He demonstrated forgiveness to us. (See John 8:7 & 11) Let’s see what else the Scriptures teach us on this topic.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mt 6:14-15 ESV)

Whenever you stand up to pray, you must forgive what others have done to you. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. (Mk 11:25 CEV)

Both preceding verses remind us that as we forgive other people for ways in which they hurt us, our Father God also forgives us for our sins. And they warn that if we don’t forgive others their transgressions, then the Lord won’t be able to forgive us. Why? Because our unforgiving attitude separates us from God, and from His loving plan for all people. Unforgiveness can become a bitter root within us corrupting our faith in God.

But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. ³⁶Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Lk 6:35-36 NASB)

In Luke 6, we’re taught by the Lord to love our enemies and even to do good to them. We’re told to lend, without expecting repayment—but then the Lord will give us a great reward. The reason for that is that the Lord is kind to ungrateful and evil people, and when we act the same way, He is mightily pleased with us.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col 3:13 NIV)

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph 4:32 NIV)

The two verses above in Colossians and Ephesians emphasize that we should be patient with each other and kind to one another. And again, we are urged most definitely to forgive others in honor and remembrance of the fact that the Lord has forgiven us repeatedly. As we humbly recall the many occasions that our Savior has forgiven every one of us, we can begin to recognize that the Lord is not asking us to do anything that He has not already done!

After forgiving someone, it may be necessary for us to forgive them again for the same issue. Not because they have offended us again, but because the enemy of our souls tries to tempt us by reminding us of the offense to break our fellowship with Jesus.

That gives us the opportunity to submit to the Lord and pray, telling ourselves and the entire spiritual realm that we forgive the one who hurt us, and we do so freely in obedience to the Lord. The Lord will give us the grace that we need to be able to arrive at the peace that He so fully provides as the Prince of Peace. God bless you!

God’s Understanding is Unsearchable

The Bible points out to us that God is far beyond our understanding, despite the fact that we may have a loving and very genuine personal knowledge of Him. Let us look at some Scriptures:

“Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26:14 NKJV)

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. (Isa 40:28 NIV)

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. (Ps 145:3 NKJV)

Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. (Ps 147:5 NKJV)

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. ⁹“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa 55:8-9 NIV)

Clearly, we can see from these passages that God is more complex than our finite minds or emotions can grasp. We cannot know the limits of His power, greatness, thoughts, wisdom, or ways. We can’t even perceive everything there is to be known about even one facet of His character. Of course, our acquaintance with sin and the world limits our ability to understand God, as well.

The impeccable harmony and agreement of God’s qualities simply highlight the complexity of God’s nature. Another element of our challenge as believers is that God is infinite, and we are not.

It is clear from the Word of God that some secret things are the domain of the Lord alone.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Deu 29:29 ESV)

The joyous truth for us is that there have been many revelations given to believers, and the most important one is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col 1:26-27 ESV)

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. (Rom 10:9-10 NIV) And one glorious day we will be in heaven with the Lord, and many mysteries will be revealed to us. And yet, I believe that throughout eternity there will always be new and wonderful insights that the Lord will open to our understanding. What a joy to contemplate! God bless you.

Wisdom, Wealth & Honor Come from God

God blesses His people with wisdom, honor and wealth. The Bible says:

Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. (1 Chr 29:12 NIV)

. . . wisdom and knowledge are granted to you. I will also give you riches, possessions, and honor, such as none of the kings had who were before you, and none after you shall have the like.” (2 Chr 1:12 ESV)

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today. (Deu 8:18 NRSV)

Wisdom is defined this way:

The right use or exercise of knowledge; the choice of laudable ends, and of the best means to accomplish them. This is wisdom in act, effect, or practice. If wisdom is to be considered as a faculty of the mind, it is the faculty of discerning or judging what is most just, proper and useful, and if it is to be considered as an acquirement, it is the knowledge and use of what is best, most just, most proper, most conducive to prosperity or happiness. (Source: https://av1611.com/kjbp/kjv-dictionary/wisdom.html)

Wealth is:

The most basic English definitions of wealth are “the condition of being happy and prosperous” and “spiritual well-being” (OED). But the most common usage probably involves the narrower sense of “abundance of possessions, or of valuable products.” A large percentage of Scripture focuses on right and wrong uses of this latter kind of wealth, while always subordinating it to the former. (Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/wealth/)

About Honor:

The source of all honor is God on the basis of his position as sovereign Creator and of his character as a loving Father. God the Father has bestowed honor on his Son, Jesus Christ (John 5:23). He bestowed honor on humanity by creating man a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5-6). He has also created spheres of authority within human government, the church, and the home. The positions of authority in those spheres are to receive honor implicitly. (Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/honor.html)

Let us remember that in whatever measure we enjoy these three blessings of God, we should be thankful for them and rejoice in God’s great goodness to us. Praise the Lord!

A Good Spouse is God’s Gift

A good spouse (whether husband or wife) is a gift and a blessing from God. These next verses mention the blessing of a prudent and excellent wife, but a kind and loving husband is also a gift from God.

He who finds a wife finds what is good, gaining favor from the Lord. (Pro 18:22 CEB)

Houses and wealth are inherited from parents but a prudent wife is from the Lord. (Pro 19:14 NIV)

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. (Pro 31:10-12 ESV – see also verses 13-31)

As the Scriptures teach us, EVERY GOOD THING is from our heavenly Father.

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (Jas 1:17 NASB)

A good spouse blesses us in so many ways by providing:

Companionship and connection
Attraction, intimacy and passion
A confidant and spiritual partner and
A sense of purpose in having children and raising them together.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Gen 2:24 NKJV)

. . . and the two will become one flesh.’^[So they are no longer two, but one flesh. (Mk 10:8 NIV) Spouses from the Lord become one body with their partner—united in faith, love and bringing glory to God.

The Gospel Will Bring Division

With strong language, Jesus clearly explained that He came to bring a sword and division among people. This dividing sword is described below:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Heb 4:12 NKJV, emphasis added)

Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ ³⁷“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (Mt 10:34-39 NIV)

“I came to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰I have a baptism to receive, and how distressed I am until it is over! ⁵¹Do you suppose that I came to bring peace to the world? No, not peace, but division.” (Lk 12:49-51 GNT)

But the people of the city were divided. Some were with the Jews, while others were with the apostles. (Ac 14:4 ISV)

The worldwide division created by the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are either saved or lost. We see this theme repeatedly in the Scriptures.

Jesus speaks about the fact that everyone must enter either the small gate or the wide gate. Depending upon which gate we choose, we find ourselves upon either a narrow or a broad road.

These two roads end in two different destinations: choose the wide gate and travel the broad road that leads to destruction (eternity in hell) or choose the small gate and walk the narrow road that leads to life in heaven for all eternity.

The teachings of Jesus brought divisions:

Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. (Joh 9:16 NIV)

Wherever the Gospel is preached, some believe and accept Christ as their Savior and others mock what they hear and reject God. The Lord designed the Good News to divide people intentionally.

All of this means that our love for Jesus and our commitment to Him must surpass and depose every other relationship, even with our closest family members. The Bible says:

“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:26 NLT) The way to have unity with our loved ones is to pray for their salvation and demonstrate God’s love and kindness in our interactions with them. We can invite them to attend a church service with us and take opportunities to bless them and to help them. The best way to minister to others is through acts of love and kindness. God bless you.

Live Humbly in Order to Honor God

The humility spoken of in the Bible means believing WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT US over anyone else’s opinion, including our own! Humility is freedom from pride or arrogance, modesty. Humility allows us to be open to the possibility of making a mistake.

The Lord defends the humble, but he throws the wicked to the ground. (Ps 147:6 NCV) Because the Lord places such value upon humility, He chooses to defend humble people.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Mt 23:12 ESV) The Lord says that He exalts people who are humble.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (Jas 4:10 NIV) Our God promises to lift up His humble servants.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time . . . (1 Pet 5:6 NKJV) In His timing, the Lord shall exalt those who live humbly in His service.

Here are some characteristics of humble people:

Humility esteems God’s ways above everything; it recognizes that He is all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful and loving.
Humility stays mindful that none of us is greater than another.
Humility is knowing when to ask questions as well as when to ask for help.
Humility knows who we are and to Whom we belong.
Humility always involves honesty.
Humility means being willing to learn and being curious about others.
Humility implies not taking our desires, successes, or failing too seriously.
Humility is trusting that what God says concerning each of us is true.
Humility is believing that what God says is always true.

Humility is a viewpoint of spiritual modesty that comes from understanding our place in the world and God’s perfect plans for us. His plans for us are good to give us a future and a hope. (Jer 29:11) Thank the Lord most High!

What Does God Do for His Glory?

God created the world for His glory. – The heavens tell of the glory of God;
and their expanse declares the work of His hands. (Ps 19:1 NASB)
God helps not only ALL people, but He helps, delivers, and forgives believers, for His own glory. – Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. (Ps 79:9 NIV)
God will not share His glory with idols, so we must be diligent in ascribing glory to God alone for all of His blessings upon us. – ‘I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.’ (Isa 42:8 NIV)
God will not allow Himself to be insulted, and He will not relinquish His glory to others. – For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. (Isa 48:11 NIV)
Because we are called by the name of the Lord and we are His children, the listens, forgives, and acts on our behalf. It is all for the glory of His name. – ‘Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, take note and take action! For your own sake, don’t delay, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.’ (Dan 9:19 ISV)

We belong to our Creator, and it is our created function to bring Him glory and honor. We are the children of God, called by His name and created for God’s own glory—as the Scriptures teach us:

Bring My sons from afar, and My daughters from the ends of the earth, even everyone who is called by My name, for I have created him for My glory; I have formed him, and I have made him. (Isa 43:6-7 MEV)

So I gaze on you in the sanctuary to see your strength and your glory. (Ps 63:2 CSB)

We are called to worship and glorify the Lord. Let us praise and worship the Lord in the sanctuary as we recognize His strength and His glory. Praise the Lord!

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Month: July 2022