Words

Good Morning,

Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21 (TEV)
What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.

At first, when I looked at the NIV translation of this verse, it wasn't entirely clear to me...the part about the eating it's fruit. Then, as He does, God had me dig a little deeper, read a little more, and be open to what He was saying through this verse. I like the way that the TEV translation puts it...accepting the consequences of what we say.

What I heard here after only a few minutes of thinking about this verse was, "David, you really have to be more careful in what you say and how you say it. Remember, you are the one who must ultimately answer for your words." Kind of sobering to me, in a way, if I choose to remember the things I've said in the past and the ways that I've presented my ideas, thoughts, and opinions. However, I know I'm not condemned for what I've done as Jesus has paid the price for those sins. For that all I can say is, "Thank you, Lord!"

Simply put, today's verse is concise and straight forward. In the past we may not have fully realized that we have done good or bad with our words. We just said them. Consequences weren't immediately apparent, so we didn't give much, if any, thought to some of the things we said. Today we cannot take that cavalier attitude, though, because we have read what God has to say about the words we use...to do good or bad...to give life or death.

Remember, what you say has consequences that you will face at some point. So, we choose the consequences when we choose the words we use. They can be uplifting and life giving or they can be degrading and demoralizing.

Our choice.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David