Devotional Thoughts for Today
“The Power of Words”
Jeremiah 28:12-17
Sometime after the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke-bars from off the neck of Jeremiah the prophet, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go, tell Hananiah, ‘Thus says the Lord: You have broken wooden bars, but you have made in their place bars of iron. 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I have put upon the neck of all these nations an iron yoke to serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they shall serve him, for I have given to him even the beasts of the field.’” 15 And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die, because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’” 17 In that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
James 3:1: Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
There’s an old John Mayer song in which the chorus says, “My stupid mouth has gotten me in trouble.” When I was in high school, I used to think how true that was, because I would often regret something I had said frivolously. I wonder if Hananiah would have thought that to himself—“My stupid mouth has gotten me in trouble.” Unfortunately, because he spoke foolishly, and there were consequences—he died.
In the book of James, the apostle warns about taking lightly the role of a teacher. Teachers have a platform to speak and their words have power. Hananiah, though not a teacher per se, was a prophet who spoke to people, and thus taught people. But his message was false and he was judged for that. James says that teachers will be judged with greater strictness, because their words have power to lift up others or tear them down. That is a scary warning.
Words have power and the extent to which we have a platform to speak to others, our words have greater power. This is why we all need to be careful with our words. James says that words have the power to bless and also the power to curse (see James 3:9). Each time we speak, we should ask ourselves, Will these words bless or curse those who are listening? Will they build up or tear down? Especially for those in some position of power—whether as a leader, a teacher, or even a parent—ask yourself this: How will my words be received by those under me? Will they instruct and edify, or will they confuse and bring fear?
Though James says that not everyone should be teachers, a teacher is a noble calling. Teachers are necessary to build up others, especially within the church. This is why we should pray for our leaders, pastors, and teachers. We need to pray for God to use the words of those God has called to continue to build up His church. May God use our words and the words of our leaders to bring glory to Jesus and to bring blessing to others!
Prayer: Lord, may the words of our mouths be pleasing to You. So often we speak frivolously and flippantly without realizing how our words may affect others. May we be careful with our words, knowing that our words have the power to both bless and curse. May we see to use our words always to be a blessing to others, all for your glory. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Esther 1
Prophesying is a dangerous task. Throughout the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament, we read of people prophesying the word of God and paying dearly for it. Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah often were rejected by the people and faced constant threats and abuse. Proclaiming God’s truth is dangerous, because sometimes the truth is not easy to hear. And when people do not like the message of God, they turn their anger toward to one speaking His words. Prophesying truly is a dangerous task.
There is a proverbial saying that goes like this: “All that glitters is not gold”—meaning, the appearance of something does not necessarily tell you about its true nature. For example, imagine looking at a shiny new Porsche; it could look beautiful from the outside, but this does not tell you anything about the quality of its engine. It may not even work! A shiny Porsche that has a broken engine is useless!
None of us is a fan of adversity. For me, I absolutely hate having conversations with Comcast’s customer service. Or try airlines—I remember getting into a very lengthy conversation with airline personnel after a flight cancelation. It’s painful to deal with a company that really seems to wish the worst on you, and I’m sure I’m not alone in dealing with them. Then again, my taste of adversity can’t hold a candle to that which God’s people once faced.
When I graduated from college, I bought my first car. The dealership offered a warranty plan—and they assured me it was worth it—where I was guaranteed my money back on the warranty if no issues ever arose with the car after five years. In my naïveté, I bought the warranty; and five years later, having had no issues, I brought all my paperwork back to the dealership, and they said they’d be sending a check in 6-8 weeks. Eight weeks went by and no check. When I returned to the dealership, they said there must have been an issue, reassuring me a check was on its way. Time went by, still no check. I kept going back and kept being given false promises, so I eventually gave up. Sadly, I was duped by a lie.
The AMI QT Devotionals for August 5-11 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston), while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
Influence fades very quickly. When Fitbits first became popular, I bought one thinking it would revolutionize my exercise habits. My friends and I all competed with each for the most steps and we all were walking more—it seemed the influence of our Fitbits and of each other was helping to keep us all healthier. Yet, after a few weeks, that influence waned and I wore it less and less. Right now, my Fitbit is collecting dust in some drawer in my house, and the Fitbits of many of my friends are suffering a similar fate.
The AMI QT Devotionals for August 5-11 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston), while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
A major pillar of modern and post-modern society is the concept of “freethought”. This viewpoint contends that an individual’s thinking should be free from authority and tradition. A person should be free to make their own choices, to determine their own futures, and to form their opinions. This value is quite evident in many movies and TV shows, in which main characters are applauded for unshackling themselves from convention and authority (think: Frozen, or really any other recent Disney movies).
A couple years back, I was on a serving team that hoped to establish presence on a new campus. We had a handful of members who attended, but in the end, it seemed (to me) like “negative ministry.” We started with a dozen students in the beginning, but we said goodbye to nearly all of them by the end as some of them chose to go to other churches or move away (some stopped going to church altogether). It was an extremely discouraging experience; for a long time, I would often look back and mourn how pitiful the outcome seemed compared to the time we spent preparing, praying, and reaching out.
In the last two years, I’ve experienced an above-average number of flight delays and cancellations for reasons ranging from airport fires and snowstorms to broken lavatory doors. By this point, I am accustomed, even expectant, of delays. Some might think I’ve become passive, but I personally hope God is purposely growing patience and meekness inside me. Everything is out of my hands: I can neither change the weather nor fix an airplane. My fate is dictated by an air traffic controller (and however God directs the weather or maintenance crew).
My first job out of school had me working, on few occasions, with a doctor who was a devout Jew (he read the Torah and would mention aspects of Jewish faith). Once, I felt bold to ask him for his thoughts about Jesus, since he knew I was a Christian. Right after he shared and asked for my thoughts, we got interrupted. But, I chickened out and never brought it up again the remainder of the times I worked with him. It wasn’t just that I felt foolish or unequipped to handle a discussion of Judaism and Christianity – I knew what I believed. But, I didn’t want someone who was a superior at work to find it offensive if I told him that I believe Jesus is the Messiah and the fulfillment he was looking for. I realized that even though I was a leader at church and felt equipped on this topic, I was quite cowardly about faith in the workplace. I was not bold enough to speak the truth that I believed.