“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)
Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you search for something on the internet, everything but what you were looking for comes up in the search results?
One of my more recent searches was on the word wholesome. The search brought up everything you would ever want to know about healthy eating habits. It wasn’t really what I was looking for, but I was captivated by what I found. And for the next few minutes (it was really more like 30) I read articles on proper nutrition, vitamins, and lists about foods that are good for you and not so good for you.
The articles basically all said the same thing: Eating foods that are filled with junk will not encourage your body to thrive. If you want to have a strong and healthy body, you need to feed it foods that are filled with the powerful nutrients your body needs.
Are my words encouraging others to thrive?
As I reflected on what I had read, I realized the same can be said about the words we speak. Our Words are powerful; they can encourage others to thrive or leave them feeling depleted and empty. –Tweet this!
Today’s verse tells us to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths. When we are speaking we need to be mindful of our words. No matter who we are talking to, let’s try to remember to keep our words encouraging, helpful and uplifting. This includes our words to our husbands, children, friends, and the rest of the world. And yes, it even includes the person who gets on our last nerve!
Let’s Pray:
Lord I praise you for being a God who is full of grace and mercy. Thank you for the wisdom found in your word. Help me to remember to keep my words encouraging and helpful when I’m talking to others. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!
Need a little extra help taming the tongue? These Eleven Key Questions can help us keep those tongues in check.
Thank you for following along today! I hope you were encouraged and inspired by this devotion. For the next few weeks we will be talking about The Power Of Our Words. Words are powerful; they can encourage us to blossom or cause us to wilt.
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Weekly Linkups
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Hi, Kelly! Thank you for the reminder from God’s word to keep our words wholesome!! Visiting today from Grace &Truth Link Up!
You are welcome Lisa! Thank you for stopping by.
Good morning, Kelly … from your next-door-neighbor over at Holley’s! Thanks for the reminder that words matter, they carry weight, they can bless others.
Happy Wednesday to you …
Hello Linda. It’s nice to meet and connect with you. Thank you for stopping by!
A simple yet deeply heartfelt prayer that we all need to release. Our words are important.. like arrows in the hands of an archer we launch them and they penetrate deep…sometimes to wound and others to spur on. May my words be the one’s that build not hurt!
Blessings
Dawn
Good morning Dawn! I love that you said, “our words are like arrows in the hands of an archer.” Great analogy!
Love when rabbit trails turn out productive. And agree with you, Kelly, what we put into our minds will come out of our mouths. Thank you for sharing, friend. : )
You are welcome Crystal!
Thanks Kelly,
Short, sweet, powerful, and convicting. I need to watch what I eat and what I say. Thank you for the reminder and the encouraging words this morning! Your neighbor at #IntentionalTuesday 🙂
Thank you Jed! It’s nice to meet another friend from #IntentionalTuesday!
Beautiful post and so timely. Thank you for this. Have a blessed week, Kelly! 🙂
Thank you, I’m glad it spoke to you! It was timely for me me too. 😉