“That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving. And declare all Thy wonders.” – Psalm 26:7

I can remember when my first child was too young to speak. It was so challenging to try to figure out what he wanted and needed because he could not talk to us. And he mixed up words when he did. Often, he would say ‘honey’ when he wanted yogurt - or so we thought. It was only later that we realized that he was trying to say ‘hungry’ but said ‘honey’ instead! So, every time he was hungry, we gave him yogurt! It is funny now, but we can see the importance of words.

Similarly, followers of Jesus are called to speak to one another about God - to declare His wonders, speak the truth in love, confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, teach our children, and diligently talk with them about God.

Words do have power. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue.

Wicked leaders using mere words have raised armies to do their bidding, and in the same way, righteous believers through the ages have told people the way to truth and life. With the same German language, the Theologian and founder of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, led millions to Christ through his German translation of the Bible while leader Adolf Hitler led millions to their deaths.

Followers of Jesus Christ are called not just to believe certain things or think certain things or notice certain things; we are called to speak - to declare. We are called to speak truth to those far off, to demolish every argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, to proclaim God’s goodness, and to encourage our brothers and sisters to build up their faith. We are to sing - to use our words to glorify and magnify Him in song.

He gave us the gift of language to capture abstract thought and communicate ideas with it. In the Bible, He speaks to us with words that help direct our lives. And He wants us to share the truth about Him with everyone we encounter.

Some words will be merely the aroma of God’s truth. They are more general truths about every area of life. We are to share in a way that even without mentioning God or Jesus we are pointing people to Him with our words. After all, all truth is God’s truth. But we also need to consciously look for direct ways to share about God and His wonders, and about Jesus and His saving grace. It is not just our pastors or people with the gift of evangelism who need to speak those words to others. It is us, too.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

All our words will one day be judged. May they be life-giving to others and glorifying to the One who gave us the gift of language.

Questions for Thought

1. How has someone spoken to you in a way that led you to Jesus?

2. How are we to interact with those people God puts in our lives?

3. Is there someone that God may be calling you to share the truths about Jesus with?