Power of the Tongue
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit ~ Proverbs 18:21
Words have the power to motivate or destroy, energize or deflate, inspire or create despair. Many successful executives can remember the time their father failed to give affirmation to them as a child. The result was either over-achievement to prove their worth, or underachievement to prove he was right.
A wife has lost her ability to love because of a critical husband. A husband has left a marriage because of words of disrespect and ungratefulness. Stories abound regarding the power of words. There are just as many stories of those who have been encouraged, challenged, and comforted with words that made a difference in their lives.
Jesus knew the power of words. He used parables to convey His principles of the Kingdom of God. He used words of forgiveness and mercy. He used words to challenge. He used words to inspire His disciples to miraculous faith.
Do your words give life? Do they inspire and challenge others to greatness? Who does God want you to encourage through your words today? Affirm someone close to you today.
“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” ~ James 1:26
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. ~ James 3:9-10
Hope you’re blessed by the above!
Marlene =)
The 4 Models of Man
A great teacher wanted to enlighten his students about different kinds of attributes and attitudes of people. He exhibited four models of man made using different materials- mud, sponge, stone and sugar respectively. He gave four bowls containing water and asked them to study how the models reacted with water.
The model made of mud dissolved and polluted the water. The sponge model absorbed water. The stone model was inert while the sugar model dissolved and sweetened the water. The teacher then explained the observations and their implications.
The persons resembling mud interfere with others, create problems and disrupt peaceful social life. Persons resembling sponge exploit others and receive benefits from society without offering any help or service.
The stone-like persons are inert but do not offer any service to society. The people resembling sugar are ready to sacrifice themselves to serve others and sweeten the society.
So do you choose to be mud, sponge, stone or sugar?
God bless,
Marlene
