Words Matter

When I was growing up, the only Bible verse about our words that I knew was Ephesians 5:4: “neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.” I tried to use that to convince people not to cuss. (It went over really well.) That was about the extent of my concern with the things we say.

As I’ve gotten older, though, I’ve found myself drawn more and more to the different teachings in Proverbs that have to do with how we talk to each other. Things like

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (12:18)

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (15:1)

The righteous heart reflects before answering, but the wicked mouth blurts out evil. (15:28)

I think this newfound interest in how we use our words has to do with all of the different roles I find myself playing in life these days. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a boss. I'm a teacher. I have to lead committee meetings. I have to step into some very emotionally fraught situations—moments of grief, hurt, anxiety, and conflict. The longer I’ve worn those hats, the more I’ve recognized how important these teachings are.

All of that had me primed for hearing an old, familiar passage with new ears recently. I was reading through James, when I came to 1:26-27 (FNV):

All who represent themselves as spiritual but do not keep their tongue under control are only fooling themselves—their spirituality is worthless. But the one whose spirituality is pure and spotless before our Father the Great Spirit* takes care of widows and orphans, and keeps himself free from the evil ways of this world.

I’ve always loved verse 27 for its emphasis on caring for people who are vulnerable and in need, but this time verse 26 really struck me. James is pretty blunt here: if your spirituality doesn’t affect how you speak to other people, it’s worthless.

I don’t think he stresses our words because that’s the single most important activity we engage in. I think he stresses our words because that’s about the most basic activity we engage in. We speak to people all day long. With phones and social media, that’s truer now than ever. If our faith doesn’t impact this basic, constant activity, which directly affects everyone we interact with—then, really, what good is it?

From where James is standing, it’s worthless.

I want to leave us with a couple of questions today:

• Are you deliberate about how you speak to other people, or are you usually just saying whatever comes into your mind?
• Do any of those verses from Proverbs particularly speak to you?
• Is there one relationship or one environment in your life where you need to become more intentional about letting your faith affect your words, tone, and body language? What would be step one?

* The First Nations Version is a translation of the New Testament that’s written for Native American readers. One difference from most English translations is that it doesn’t use the term “God,” which Western readers are so familiar with, but instead talks about “the Great Spirit,” a phrase more familiar for Native Americans.

You can listen to this week's devotional here: