Are you a builder or a wrecker?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The power of words”

Our Bible verse for today: “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Are you a builder or a wrecker?”

Have you seen the meme on social media of an enraged father towering over a trembling little boy as the father spews angry words of criticism and rebuke? We get the feeling that this father is something of an ogre and that this is a regular occurrence in the boy’s life. The scene is especially disturbing because unfortunately, many children do grow up in dysfunctional homes with abusive parents who habitually say cruel things. Over time children come to believe those things about themselves and it has a profound negative impact on the formation of their self-image. Many people end up spending much of their adult lives trying to get over their childhood precisely for this reason.

Perhaps you’re familiar with another story of two men standing side-by-side observing workers constructing a new house. One man turns to the other and asks why he is so interested in the construction process. The other answers that he makes his living demolishing old homes that must be torn down. He explained that he finds it ironic how he can tear down in a day what it took skilled laborers six months to build.

Both of those stories illustrate the same point. It’s easy to tear down and destroy. And once you have torn down or destroyed, it can be difficult or even impossible to put the thing back together again – whether the thing is a building or a child’s psyche.

Words are like that. Words can build up or they can destroy depending on how they are used. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 18:21 that the tongue has the power of life and death in it. He meant that we can use our words to speak life into people by encouraging them and lifting them up, or we can cut them down, hurt them, maybe destroy them.

Words are powerful and we need to be careful how we use them. Therefore, we will spend the rest of this month considering the power of the words we use and how we can use them for good rather than bad, for blessing rather than cursing.

For today, I want to ask you to give careful prayerful thought to how you most often use your words. Are you a builder who uses your words to lift people up, or are you a wrecker who tears people down? Be honest with yourself. Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you about this.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are 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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