Verse: Matthew 12:33-37
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Devotion
Have you ever been around a person who really just loved the sound of their own voice – so much so that they didn’t listen to anyone else on the room? I have a horror of being like that. The experience of a person like that is really so terrible. The phrase “pompous windbag” comes to mind(that part of Cinderella always makes me laugh), which I know is not charitable, but it just makes me want to be really careful of my words.
This scripture is like that. It makes me think about the way that I use words, and it causes me to weigh them carefully and deliberately. Words are so powerful and can really stay with a person. I know there are those stereotypical words that stay with you for your whole life that someone said to you, for better or for ill. But even the everyday ways we interact and speak, can create a safe space, or an unsafe one. A welcoming place, or an indifferent one, or even a hostile one.
What are the things that come out of our mouth automatically? Once out, they cannot be retrieved. It may be changing the way that we speak, not necessarily the content. Do we speak the truth in a way that is graceful? Are we doing our best to create peace, or to assign value to the people we come in contact with? Because scripture tells us that the way we treat others will viewed be the way we treated Jesus. And not just at church, but in our homes, and when we are out to dinner. In our workplaces, and at the grocery store. On the phone with a trusted friend, and also with the customer service rep that we waited an hour to speak to. Our words matter deeply to Jesus.
Prayer
Lord, help me to be humble and self aware of the areas where my words don’t bring you honor. Please shape me and transform me closer to your likeness. Amen
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