THE POWER OF WORDS
(5-minute read)
Words matter - whether they come from us or someone else. They have the power to hurt or heal, woo or wound, build or break relationships, deepen connection or confusion, inspire or insult. Some people just shoot from the hips, while others move through life holding their emotions close to their chests. Our speech is the barometer of our hearts, and even the lack of words can reveal much more than we care to admit. Words can do a lot of damage, as well as uplift the downtrodden. They can express joy or jealousy.
OUR WORDS CARRY WEIGHT
The apostle James introduced the idea of taming the tongue in the book of James. “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” (James 3:1-2). The word ‘teacher’ here refers to all of us. We are all teachers in the sense that we instruct and guide others on the basis of their trust in us and their belief that what we say is true. For this reason, we are held to a higher standard and will be judged more severely by God because what we say carries weight. However, time and again, we will slip up and miss the mark.
As such, James urged us, “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:4). Our speech reflects our spiritual well-being. We cannot keep singing the same tune and expect different outcomes.
OUR WORDS MUST BE OBSERVED
Proverbs 18:21 offers a sobering reminder that ‘The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.’ Simply put, it means that we bear the consequences of careless words, premature utterances, and speaking on mistaken assumptions. Yet, it is hard to tame the human tongue and its impulses.
“The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire.” (James 3:5-6).
People tend to pay more attention to how their words sound than where they come from. We labor over what we say just to sound right and inoffensive, and spend much less attention on whether they align with the Word of God. Christians more often tell each other to be ‘nice’ than they direct each other to align their opinions and behaviour with God’s Word. We tend to over-empathize and under-stimulate each other towards growth and change. We forget that we are accountable ‘for every empty word’ we speak (Matthew 12:36-37). If we never stand up against injustice just to stay safe, if we never speak the truth in love simply to avoid conflict, if we never stop gossip but think nothing of chiming in with our take on people’s private matters, if we never confront a bad behaviour with honesty, we fail to take responsibility in making a difference with our words.
OUR WORDS MUST BUILD OTHERS
The apostle James had a way of speaking to ordinary believers like us. He spoke plainly without mincing his words to sound holy, or educated, or pleasing. His mission was to convince people about the necessity of rewiring themselves to achieve spiritual health. Spiritually healthy people don’t need to boast about exotic holidays or drop names to impress people. They enjoy a quality of life that inspires those in contact with them, even when life is not that rosy. They seem to have an easy access to God’s Word that they readily apply on themself in a curious and childlike manner. Nothing about them is so precious or permanent that it cannot be revised to improve the quality of their relationships and life. James considered their behaviour “deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13). They make God’s Word livable and practical in a way that eludes those who are afraid that following God closely will make them undifferentiated from others and strip them of their unique personalities. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth.
According to James, life without godly wisdom is one where we will “find disorder and every evil practice”. Imagine living in discord and disunity, as well as constantly having conflicted feelings and conflicting interests. That hardly sounds like living in heaven! In comparison, those who “sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”. (James 3:18).
There is no point in directing people to gurus who convince people that they can change their lives, and it is meaningless to tell people to believe in themselves. People who value godly wisdom constantly train themselves to think and speak in ways that are “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere”. (James 3:17). Their life goal is to be instrumental in building all lives. They are committed to God’s Word and allow the Word to transform themselves.
To build others really is to bless, to unite, to inspire, to lift and to direct them towards God alone.
Psalm 19:14 offers a great prayer to rehabilitate our speech and keep it in good shape. “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 23 September 2023.
