Apples Of Gold

Apples Of Gold; Proverbs 25:11

I want to start of today by asking some thought provoking questions.

Why is it that doctors call what they do “A practice”?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why do they call apartments, apartments when they are all stuck together?

Why can’t women put on mascara with their mouths closed?

Why is the word abbreviation so long?

Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?

Why is it that when you transport something by car, it’s called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it’s called cargo?

Language is a great gift from God that sets us apart from every other creature. But sometimes our words are misunderstood or mistranslated; for example,

I found some commercial slogans that had been translation into other languages of course they didn’t translate the same: Kentucky Fried Chicken, "finger-lickin’ good" In China it came out as "eat your fingers off." The Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" came out in Taiwan as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead." When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, they were unaware that "no va" means "it won’t go." They didn’t sell many cars in South America. Coors’ "Turn It Loose" slogan was mistranslated into Spanish as "Drink Coors and get diarrhea."

The words we use to communicate can be very powerful. So we need to be very careful how we use them. Words can make us happy, or sad, they can make us angry or fill us with joy, they can make us laugh or cry. They can heal or they can hurt. Words are an important part of life.

We ask, “What’s the good word?” “What’s the latest word” or we may say, “Now there’s the man of his word” or “That’s a man of few words.” Parents may say to their children, “Choose your words carefully because you may have to eat them.” Or they may warn their children not to use any “four-letter words.” (((Kids corner & Toothpaste))) Words are very powerful.

When Sigmund Freud discovered that symptoms of emotional distress could be relieved simply by talking to his patients, he was amazed. Years of medical training had conditioned him to think of people as merely biological entities. He had concluded that problems like anxiety and depression must reflect some physical disorder treatable only through medical intervention.

If Freud had spent time reading the book of Proverbs he would have discovered the power that words have long before he did. Listen to what God’s word has to say about the power of words:

Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

Proverbs 15:4, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.”

Proverbs 16:24, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

Words have the power to heal and word have the power to destroy.

One of the things I love to do is to coach. It’s important for me to be a part of my kid’s lives, to be involved in activities they’re involved in. It’s also a good way to get to know other people and to build relationships, invite people to church. And of course I love sports, so it’s a lot of fun.

But every so often there will be a parent that screams out at their kids, “Get your head in the game, what were you thinking, come on you can do better than that.” And the kid just feels shame, he is discouraged, and he just can’t seem to play at his best. Even if he tries as hard as he can, he still hears that voice of condemnation.

I love to hear the parents cheering on their kids. They say things like, “You can do it, way to go, good hustle, good job, and I’m so proud of you.”

When the kids hear their parents cheering them on it motivates them to try as hard as they can. It gives them courage, confidence and motivation. Proverbs 25:11, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

Today I would like to share with you 3 ways in which we speak:

1. SHALLOW WORDS

During the course of his sermon, a preacher wanted to emphasize the brevity of life. He took a long pause, then said, “Every member of this church is going to die.” But, to his surprise, a man in the back row responded to this statement with a big smile.

Repeat twice, louder…After the sermon he went back and found the man and asked, “Why in the world did you smile so big when I said ‘Every member of this church is going to die?’” The man erupted with a huge smile and said, “Because I’m not a member of this church.”