As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
Do you have trouble with your mouth?
I do. And I always have. Since birth.
Really.
There are few things worse than saying something that you regret, whether immediately or eventually.
How should we then speak?
I’d like to take a few posts to meditate on that.
And I’d like to begin by considering someone who speaks, and who speaks well.
The Bible begins with a speech act:
“Isn’t it interesting that the man that Jesus rebukes for speaking Satan’s words is the man who rebukes Ananias for speaking Satan’s words.” - P&D
“His contrast is between the cunning, crafty, and deceitful words of false teachers and the honest, straightforward, loving words Christians should speak to each other.” - Mark Ward
“Words have immense power—power to do such good and power to do such harm. Words can strengthen the weak or crush them, comfort the sorrowful or grieve them, relieve the burdened or weigh them down all the more. Words can be a taste of life or a savor of death” - Challies
“…in just that way, social media can be used for such good and such ill. It can display human beings at their best and worst, their most gracious and most condescending, their most humble and most prideful.” - Challies
“About two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) say that ‘people being too easily offended’ is a major problem in the country today, while a slimmer majority – 53% – say that ‘people saying offensive things to others’ is a major problem” - Pew
“Silence is often a way out. Silence is a way to neglect our responsibilities as a mentor or boss. Silence is an excuse not to fulfill what Scripture says about the older teaching the younger….The opposite is also true…. So how do we know when we should or should not respond?” - Treg Spicer
“What is the most frightening verse in the Bible?… for me, the scariest part of Scripture is Jesus’s words in Matthew 12:36: ‘I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.’” - TGC
“…please (especially to my Christian friends, I beg of you) please stop • mocking • denigrating • demonizing • and dehumanizing people who hold opposing positions. They are image-bearers of God. And they are as deeply loved by their creator as you are.” - C.Leaders
“…A Way with Words is a much-needed book. It’s no doubt easy enough to think of all the other people who need to read it, but some self-reflection should show that all of us will benefit from considering the ways we speak and, particularly, the ways we communicate online.” - Challies
Discussion