Thought for the Week
“Just watch what you say” is a warning that we may issue or receive in all sorts of contexts.
It could be in the lead-up to an interview or it could be when we are about to talk to someone with whom we have previously had a dispute. Whatever the context, the warning is an acknowledgement of the importance of words.
We often say that actions count more than words, and there is certainly a lot of truth in that.
However words also make a big impact – think of the number of words you listen to,read and utter in any one day.
The things we say and the things we write can change lives for good and for ill.
When we say something hurtful we can ruin a friendship that has been strong for years.
When we say something encouraging we can cheer someone who has been feeling that there is nobody at all who cares about them. Why are words so important? It is because they communicate and relationships are established on the basis of communication.
Words tell a lot about who we are and what we want.
One of the titles given to Jesus in the Bible is the Word made flesh. Why is He given that title? It is because God has disclosed himself in Jesus.
Jesus is God’s ultimate communication with the world.
It is through Him that we learn what God is like.
Jesus is God’s chosen Word for the world.
He is God’s ultimate messenger and God’s ultimate message.
The Bible gives regular instructions to choose our words carefully but also invites us choose the Word because that is how we know God.
William Wilson Minister at Burnside Blairbeth Church