Faithfulness

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My YouVersion Bible app verse of the day is Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

That reminded me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible, Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up, according to their need.”

Words matter.

I am thinking about words today.  Words are powerful.  Words can bring blessing and encouragement or words can bring discouragement and even curses.

I had to replant some grass in the back yard the other day.  Last winter with snow on the ground I cleaned my oil painting brushes in this spot.  I learned from Mr. happy trees, Bob Ross,  a fun way to clean your brushes----soak them in paint thinner and then beat them on something.

What I didn’t realize is that paint thinner kills grass.  It went down through the snow and into the soil and killed the area.

Words can do that.

I know that I have used words in the past that were like hitting somebody with a brush that had poison on it.  I regret that.  And my kids have had to forgive me for things I said that killed the green growth in their young hearts.  I am so thankful for forgiveness and grace.

I pray that God will enable me and empower me to use words that are full of grace, planting seeds of new growth in fresh soil in hearts of people around me.

Words are powerful.

As an internal processor, sometimes I can be a man of few words and brevity rules the day.  My friends have coached me, “use your words, Steve.”

May I encourage you?  Use your words.  And may they be full of grace, seasoned with salt, bringing blessings and encouragement into hearts around you today.

Boundaries and Borders