Words Can Hurt Or Heal

When someone sends me one of those things that circulate around the internet for years, I research it very carefully, if it is truth, then I pray about it and ask some questions of myself. One and most important, is it true. Two is it necessary to tell everybody I know about this? Third is it hurtful and fourth will it further the cause of Christ. If these things are answered in a truthful way, most of what I get will go in my trash folder to be deleted later on.

So we have looked at the ways that the tongue can be hurtful, what about how the tongue can be healing? How do we heal the hurts the world brings upon our fellow human beings? Jas 3:9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Jas 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. James then goes on to explain what he means in regard to the tongue and how it is used.

In verse 11 James asks if a spring or stream can produce both fresh water and salt water. Of course the answer is no it cannot. The tongue then should also not produce both blessing and cursing. In verse 12 James asks about a fig tree, can it also produce olives, again the answer is no. Just as a stream produces fresh water the fig tree produces figs. Both bring nourishment to the hungry or the thirsty person. That therefore is how our tongue should be - bring good to the soul of those we speak with. This really is a spiritual issue, if our spirit is right then we should speak rightly, we should speak words that bring refreshing to the soul of those around us. If we are truly persons who love God that love should be seen in our actions and especially in our words.

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves:

Do I teach others things that I do not myself follow?

Do I criticize others behind their back?

Is my speech consistently clean, edifying, kind?

Do I make jokes about the Scriptures? In retelling a story, do I exaggerate in order to make people more impressed?

Do I always tell the truth, even if it means loss of face, friends, or finances?

It is not easy to be different, yet we are asked to be different from those around us who may not know Christ. We are not of this world, we just live here for now, If Christ is truly Lord, then we should emulate Him, follow His example.