MARCH 13, 2010

WORDS THAT WOUND THE HEART

PART 2

Scripture Reading: James 3:8

"But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil,

full of deadly poison."

Our mouths are like a dispensary at a pharmacist's bench. They can pour out poison or medicine depending on the words we speak. Poisonous words can wound the heart, some wounding us deeper than others. We must be careful to deal with them properly and not to dispense them to others.

Lies wound the heart. The most important quality we can have is a commitment to the truth. The Bible is filled with warnings against lying ( see Prov. 6:16-19, 18:8, 25; and Eph. 4:25 ). God wants our words to be marked with the simplicity of truth ( Matt. 5:37 ). It has been wisely observed, "If you always tell the truth, you don't have to remember what you said the last time."

Truth spoken without love wounds hearts. God places a premium on truth; however, speaking truth alone is insufficient ( see Eph. 4:15 ). This verse mentions truth before love, but that doesn't diminish our responsibility to guard the way we speak the truth. God doesn't give us permission to speak truth without thought to how we present it. Keith Miller said, "Love without truth is hypocrisy, but truth without love is brutality."

Jesus' words were gracious. "And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth" ( Luke4:22a ). He not only spoke the truth, but He did so graciously.

Sarcasm is often hyperbole intended to motivate, but it often hurts instead. A lack of kindness in our speech makes us focus on the messenger rather than on the message. It has been said, "When a man speaks, his words convey his thoughts, and his tone conveys his mood." In your desire to help and to correct, be careful to rebuke from a heart of tenderness, love, and kindness. "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious" ( Ecc. 10:12a ).

THINK ABOUT IT: When did someone's words wound your heart?

--Rick Johnson--