Think Before You Speak, or Write

   Words fitly spoken...

   Be careful what you speak, or write...

   Words can come back to haunt you...

   It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and confirm it.

   These sayings and others came to my mind this morning as I looked at Matthew 12 in The Message translation:

   "It's your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."

   Especially "Words are powerful; take them seriously".

   Most days it takes me a long time to write this blog. I want the words that I put down to be an accurate representation of my heart, what I want to say back to God as I read over the Scripture for the day. I want them to be true, not just sound good. God knows my heart so I don't need to, or want to, posture before Him.

   But it is not just God whom I want to be true to. There are others who may read these words also. That is why I usually include words from The Bible so that God may speak to them directly, as I think He has to me. His words are the authority, not mine.

   Words spoken or written have power. Power to build up and encourage, but also power to tear down and destroy. We all hold this power, and the wise person will consider what he says, and the message that it conveys.

   I have failed in this area too many times, but I want to...

   "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to Thee, my strength and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)