3 Reasons Why Words Should Matter to Us

April 6, 2016 | ziononth | 3 Comments | Pastor's Blog

Your words matter, long after they are spoken, heard, rejected, or loved.

Words mattered to Jesus. He used a lot of them. He used words that were necessary, affirming, loving, rebuking, and shocking. But He never wasted words. He was an expert craftsman with them, painting a picture of God’s grace for His people, but also using them to share the reality of life without God, now and eternally.

What is the history of how you have been using your words? Have they mattered and been intentional? Have you been inspired with the words that you have put together to make coherent, pleasing, and blessed thoughts?

Words fly like the canary that cannot be caged again. When yours take flight, do they soar?

Words should matter. But why? Here are three reasons that words should matter to us:

(1) Thinking about our words can bring us closer to God

Thinking about our words really can bring us closer to God. When we wonder about the type of language we are using, how we want to be heard, and what is behind the way in which our words conduct themselves, it helps us see how God would have us speak.

Thinking about our words helps us trust God and trust that God can use our words to His glory. There is no better feeling than to know that your words raised someone up and brought them closer to our Lord’s mercy. There is no better feeling than to know that the Holy Spirit was moving through your words and sin and pain and regret were stopped dead in their tracks. That is when you know that God was pleased with your words and you had an impact on this world for the better.

Have you felt closer to God by the words that you speak, or have the words you’ve been using made you feel alienated?

God is not a God of alienation and isolation, so think on how your words can fix and glorify relationships.

(2) Words will judge whether or not people smack your knuckles with a ruler

Words bring judgment, both good and bad.

The other day my son Ethan and I were driving past the DVD store and it advertised that they had the new Frankenstein movie in stock. Ethan wanted to know what it was about, so I said it was based off of a book. That wasn’t good enough; he wanted to know more. So, I said it was about a scientist name Frankenstein. I didn’t want to go any further than that about it. Thankfully, that satisfied him.

Some people choose to be Frankenstein every day with their tongue. What they create becomes a monster that they cannot or choose not to control. It gets loose and people suffer because of it.

People will judge you viciously by your words. They will mercilessly reject you and rebuke you, or welcome you with gladness and grace by the way you choose to spread your words across their ears.

Proverbs 16 says: The heart of the wise man makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

Be the wise man. His words bring gifts.

(3) Words matter because they tell your story

The Bible is full of words that tell God’s story. Those words have been dissected, wondered about, hated, loved, used to inspire, used to worship, and adapted into the lives of countless people who want to be a part of God’s story.

Do people want to be a part of the story that your words create as your narrative? Do they want to be included? Do they want to include you in their story? Your words are your story and you have the power to shape that story. You can stop your words from being full of venom and poison and acid, and instead fuse them with healing properties reserved for the greatest of God’s creatures. People remember those whose words lifted them up and raised them to new life and reached them in their weaknesses and showed not wrath, but compassion and grace. Those are stories the world wants to be a part of. Those are the stories all of us want to be a part of.

But then, our stories take an ugly twist because of our words. A plotline evolves that we didn’t see coming because our stories got mixed with a storyline not bred of goodness, but of something sinister. The great thing is, that even when our words fail us and corrupt our stories and those around us, God’s story never fails us or seeks to exclude us. God’s words are not born of something sinister or evil, but tears down evil. That is the story of God. God has always sought to have His story told and retold so that the world may not forget.

Your story is your story. Write glorious plotlines every day.

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Every word and conversation is a time of testing. We may not think so, but every time we open our mouths there is a judgment call going out on what we say, even in what seems to be the remotest of situations. Even when we’re out with friends, if the exact right thing gets said, it will be remembered. If the absolute wrong thing gets said, it will be remembered. Make no mistake, someone is listening, and they want to be inspired, encouraged, thought of, acknowledged, and not destroyed, weakened, ridiculed, or torn down.

Take time to make your words matter. You never know who they are going to matter to today. Amen.