Speak words of life

Good morning everyone,

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

Our Bible verse for today: “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life …” Proverbs 10:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Speak words of life”

Yesterday I told you the story of Eliza Doolittle from the movie, “My Fair Lady.” Her story was an illustration of the psychological phenomenon known as “The Pygmalion Effect” or, the self-fulfilling prophecy. What you believe to be true about yourself can have a powerful impact on what ends up being true about you. We also learned that we can help to shape someone else’s self-image and alter what they believe to be true about themselves by the words we speak to them.

There were two individuals in my early life who had that kind of impact on me. The first was my fifth-grade teacher Roberta Ryder. I was a troubled kid with a poor self-image. I had been told repeatedly in those early years that I was stupid, and I believed it. But Ms. Ryder saw something in me. She gave me special attention and lots of encouragement. She noticed that I liked to read and write, and she often told me that she believed I had what it took to be a writer, perhaps a newspaper reporter. Her belief in me and her words of encouragement were balm to a hurting child’s soul and I have remembered it to this day.

The other person who had a significant impact on me was an educational counselor named Mr. Peppard. He worked for the Navy Educational Office on the Navy Base in Philadelphia, PA. He was also the cousin of the actor George Peppard (The A Team). As a young man in my 20s, I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life and I went to see Mr. Peppard for some career counseling. He had me take an aptitude test to help me discover what career field I was most likely to enjoy and be successful in. Much to my surprise, number one on the list came back as “priest or minister.” At that time, as a young sailor, I was very far from resembling a priest or minister and the thought seemed laughable to me. But Mr. Peppard gently and kindly urged me to just tuck the idea away for now and let it sit with me for a while.

Well, here I am today, sixty years after my time with Ms. Ryder and more than forty-five years after Mr. Peppard. I have never forgotten either one of them or their wise words of counsel and encouragement, and it turns out that I have had a long and successful career as both a pastor and as a writer.

You can have that kind of impact on people too. With the Holy Spirit of God living in your heart, you have within you the ability to have a profound and positive impact on the people God brings into your life. Please do not underestimate the power or your words to speak life into someone’s confused and hurting soul.

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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