Speak words of life

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Jesus has always been a life giver. He came to give life, not take it away. In John 10:10, He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

But there is another phrase in this verse, it reads, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy …”

Whereas Jesus came to give life, the enemy exists to take it away.

And one of the ways he steals our joy, kills our dreams and destroys our relationships is through words.

Our words to others give life and unfortunately, our words to others can take life away. As a follower of Jesus, are you speaking lifegiving words?

Many of us are huge football fans. And football season can be a time of year where we experience great joy. Cheering on our favorite teams can be a lot of fun.

However, by contrast, our sometimes overzealous loyalty to the teams that we love can cause us to use words that tear down, degrade, ridicule, or taunt the teams that others love.

It’s easy to forget that our words can be very harmful or hurtful to others who do not share our particular team loyalty. And when we choose to behave in such a manner, we also tear down the fans of those given teams.

In Matthew 22, Jesus quotes a passage from the Old Testament when he says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When we love others — the people all around us — as we should, we will develop an approach to life that takes our neighbor and his feelings into consideration.

So, as the heart of fall and the stretch run of football season approaches, here’s my challenge to all of my fellow football-loving friends: let’s pull for our beloved teams with all of our devotion, while remembering that we don’t have a free pass to insult and degrade our rival teams.

Let’s agree to not use words that take LIFE away from others.

As those who represent Christ, let’s remember two passages from Ephesians … Ephesians 5:1, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.”

Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

I love my team with all of my heart, but my devotion to my team should never come ahead of my concern for others. May we have a great football season. And may we speak words that give life as often as we speak the battle cries of our favorite teams.