|
|
The Value of Words
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”
1 Samuel 3:19–21
Advertising on television is an expensive business, and that is never more true than during the Super Bowl each year. Because of the massive audience that is tuning in, the networks charge millions of dollars for just thirty seconds of advertising. According to one study I saw, the typical commercial of that length has about seventy-five words. That means that during the Super Bowl in 2014 for example, each word in the average commercial cost about $54,000!
If you knew you were going to have to pay a huge sum for every word you spoke, you would certainly choose each word very carefully. You would want to know for sure that the word you were about to speak was important, and would advance the cause of something that mattered. But in truth, while we do not get a bill from an advertising agency or a television network for our speech, each word does matter. Words can greatly encourage or deeply wound. It is little wonder that Solomon wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21).
And we should never forget that God is listening to all that we say. Jesus warned, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). There is no excuse for Christians to be careless in our speech. Our words matter and have great power, and we should be sure they are a force for good.
And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”
1 Samuel 3:19–21
Advertising on television is an expensive business, and that is never more true than during the Super Bowl each year. Because of the massive audience that is tuning in, the networks charge millions of dollars for just thirty seconds of advertising. According to one study I saw, the typical commercial of that length has about seventy-five words. That means that during the Super Bowl in 2014 for example, each word in the average commercial cost about $54,000!
If you knew you were going to have to pay a huge sum for every word you spoke, you would certainly choose each word very carefully. You would want to know for sure that the word you were about to speak was important, and would advance the cause of something that mattered. But in truth, while we do not get a bill from an advertising agency or a television network for our speech, each word does matter. Words can greatly encourage or deeply wound. It is little wonder that Solomon wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21).
And we should never forget that God is listening to all that we say. Jesus warned, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). There is no excuse for Christians to be careless in our speech. Our words matter and have great power, and we should be sure they are a force for good.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Knowing the impact our words can have on others, we should choose them with great care.
No comments:
Post a Comment