The tongue has the power of life and death

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
-Proverbs 16:24

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit".
-Proverbs 18:21

Hey y’all….can I vent?

I believe that our culture today, inside the church, has become the boldest in how we choose to speak around one another than we’ve ever been, for better and for worse. 

As ambassadors for God’s kingdom, we are truly responsible for boldly declaring His love and desire for the world to be reconciled to Him (2 Cor. 5:20, Matt. 28:18-20). I used to be someone who would shy away from speaking about what I felt was right, but now I’m at a place where I’ve learned that sometimes silence towards the causes you care about/that impact you, ultimately hurts in the long run. 

On the flip side, I also recognize that just because you boldly speak about things doesn’t mean that it ends up being effective or fruitful (regardless of intent), even if what you say is “truth”. This goes especially in how people speak in casual conversations with one another.  I’m often reminded of this statement from James 3:9-10 (“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”). 

I can have a whole deep dive into this topic, but I’ll keep my response concise. We really need to do better and recognize that our words truly have power (at ALL times). Yes, we are called to be the salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt 5:13-16) and expose evil (Eph. 5:11). We must also remember to be kind and compassionate (Eph. 4:32), love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31), seek wisdom (James 1:5-6) and be self-controlled (Titus 2:11-12).

It’s not optional.