“You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill."
And in NKJV
"You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause[b] shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."
The letter of the law in Exodus is, of course, Do not commit murder, do not kill", but Jesus takes the commandment and makes it a heart issue also, not just an act of the body.
Words: We are surrounded by words, spoken, written, tweeted, emailed, yelled and just thought. I hear so many, used in so many different ways, and even talk too much myself sometimes, without realizing the impact. Words crafted to inspire, to degrade, to lift up and to tear down. So many spoken or written without much thought as to their effect.
But in relation to the thought in the verses above, there are words that kill just like a weapon. Innuendo, character assassination and outright lies. Words that are out there for all to see and hear and tough to take back, even if I wanted to. Words that spew out of our anger, like "idiot", "stupid" or "fool" can kill the spirit and scar a soul.
Anger gives a hardness to words, and love a softness. How much better a calm response, given in love. How much better to listen to others words instead of talking over them or anxiously waiting to get my thoughts in. How much better to actually care about someone else rather than putting them down or belittling them. How much better to get to know people rather than stereotype them into groups.
Preach the Gospel always and, if necessary, use words.
Live out the Gospel every day and watch your words.
When I do use words, let them be the right ones and delivered in the right way.
"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable to Thee"
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