How you say it matters

Posted byoakhillcrossvillePosted inUncategorized
Good morning everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Be the church”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “(Be) ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do this with gentleness and respect …” 1 Peter 3:15-16 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “How you say it matters”
 
“It’s not just what you say, but how you say it.” You’ve probably heard that saying a thousand times, and deep down you know it to be true. Body language, tone, voice inflection, choice of words, all matter as much as the actual content of the statement you are making.
 
You can ask someone how they’re doing, but if your eyes are shifting away from them as they’re answering you, if you’re glancing at your watch, if you’re smiling and nodding to other people passing by, your interest and attention will seem superficial at best. But if you are looking them in the eye as they’re speaking, listening closely to what they are saying, showing empathy with your facial features, that all communicates an entirely different message to the person. They can tell you really do care how they are doing and you’re not just being polite.
 
This is a general principle that applies broadly across the spectrum of human interactions, and it certainly applies to the effectiveness of the people of God as we’re out in the world on-mission with Jesus trying to reach people with the Gospel message. It’s not just what we say, but how we say it. I once read the testimony of Rosaria Butterfield, who had been a lesbian and a passionate high-profile activist for the Gay and Lesbian agenda. During those years as a lesbian, she had numerous encounters with Christians who were loud, combative, and sometimes mean-spirited. She said that all those encounters served to do was to stiffen her resolve and solidify her dislike of Christians.
 
But then she met some new neighbors who happened to be a pastor and his wife. They were friendly and kind – even after they knew of her sexual orientation. They made an intentional effort to be her friend; they invited her to their home for dinner; they included her in social events with their friends; they stopped to chat when they encountered each other out in the neighborhood.
 
Rosaria said that theirs was a very different expression of Christianity than she had ever encountered before, and it caused her to be curious about it. That eventually led to discussions about faith and one day, that former lesbian came to faith in Christ, left her life as a gay woman, met a man she fell in love with, and ended up having his babies and raising a family. (By the way, the man she married became a pastor and so today that former lesbian is the wife of a pastor.)
 
We need to remember that “being the church” has to also mean being like Jesus. When we interact with people, we need to do so in the same way we see Jesus doing it on the pages of the Gospels. Jesus always spoke truth, but He did it in a way that made it clear to His listeners that He genuinely loved them and cared about them. The only time we read of Jesus being angry and speaking harshly was when He was dealing with the religious hypocrites of His day who were mistreating people and leading them astray.
 
In 1 Peter 3:15-16 the Apostle Peter was simply teaching us a lesson that he had personally learned from Jesus Himself – what you say matters, and how you say it matters even more.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville
 
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