Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that comes from the mouth of God.’”
In 1924, Adolf Hitler started writing his book, Mein Kampf,
which means “My Struggle.” Some people ignored the book, and some laughed at
it. But the words carried a message that would eventually lead to millions of
people dying.
We should never underestimate the power of words. A judge
speaks and a person is condemned or set free. A physician speaks and a person
has surgery or goes home from the hospital. A government official speaks, and
billions of dollars can be spent or withheld.
In your life and my life, we know the power of words. Words
can bless us and words can curse us. Words can lift us and words can cut us.
Eugene Peterson wrote, “I sometimes marvel that God chose
to risk his revelation in the ambiguities of language. If he had wanted to make
sure that the truth was absolutely clear, without any possibility of
misunderstanding, he should have revealed his truth by means of mathematics.
Mathematics is the most precise, unambiguous language we have. But then, of
course, you can’t say ‘I love you’ in algebra.”
In the new year that’s just around the corner, commit to
pay closer attention to “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Because His words matter!
Dear Lord we praise You that You choose to reveal Yourself
to us in words we can understand. Help us to listen and share in the coming
year. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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