A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up
anger.
A
person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!
To
answer before listening— that is
folly and shame.
Proverbs 15:1, 15:23, 18:13
This ends this reading from God's holy word.
Thanks be to God.
Communication is the lifeblood of relationship. It’s a saying I use all
the time as I teach because it really strikes at the core of what keeps us
connected (or disconnected) in our association with others.
It’s really true, isn’t it? If you don’t believe it, try not talking to
someone you’re in a relationship with and see what happens. It will literally
die off just as a plant withers and passes away when it isn’t watered. Maybe
you have experienced this in your life. I know I have.
The same principle applies when we decide to talk inappropriately to one
another. Words are just as damaging as physical abuse and sometimes even more
so as words can scar the very soul and psyche of someone in ways that a blow
never would. There have been more than a few relationships destroyed through
improper and unbecoming communication.
So what are we to do? How are we to communicate with others in a way
that ensures we keep our relationships intact and growing in the right
direction?
Here’s the right answer:
It all comes down to our communication and relationship with the One who
will always ensure we say the right words at the right times in all situations.
It all comes down to our communication and relationship with the Lord.
Sounds so simple, right? Maybe that’s because it is.
You see, we make communication too hard, especially in regard to how the
Lord intends for us to communicate. For He longs to speak through us, using us
as a mouthpiece through which He can communicate with others. The relationships
He brings us into our not so much intended to bless us but to rather bless
those we relate to as we allow the Lord to build relations with them through
us. And when we partner with other Christians in relationship then we receive
the blessing of hearing Lord-invoked words from our partner to us. In other
words, Christian relationships are mutually edifying. You see this in the
church. You see this in marriages where couples are committed to Christ and
place Him at the head of their union. And you see this in any other
relationship between two believers. The Lord wants to ever strengthen His bond
with believers and establish His bond with non-believers. He seeks to do this
through the communications that Christians share with others.
So what do we have to gain by allowing the Lord to use us as instruments
of communication? Look at these proverbs for today to find the right answers:
A gentle answer turns away
wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word! Proverbs
15:23
To answer
before listening— that is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13
1. We speak in gentleness.
A gentle answer turns away
wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1
We often find ourselves in a place where conversation becomes
confrontational. Life often brings conflict and if we’re not careful, the way
we communicate will only escalate a situation instead of defuse it. This is
where the Lord needs to be in play as we seek the right words to say, the right
way to answer an argumentative spirit.
For the Lord will always lead us to words that will deconflict matters,
gentle words that turn away wrath and disempower anger. The best way to remove
someone seeing you as a threat is to adopt a non-threatening posture and
attitude. A gentle reply to someone when they are worked up is the first good
step to trying to tone down the conversation and get it into a manageable
position where discussion can happen in a spirit of peace and love.
2. We speak appropriate, timely words and find joy in doing so.
A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—
and how good is a timely word! Proverbs
15:23
Maybe you have experienced someone who has always seemed to know how to
say the right things at the right time. I know I have and have strived to be
that kind of person myself. Hopefully, the devotions I write offer others that
appropriate, timely word when they needed it. It’s my prayer every day as I
commune with the Lord and allow Him to speak through me.
Indeed, we should all strive to be people who communicate words relevant
to the needs of the people we’re talking to. The Lord will ensure that always
happens and when you allow Him to speak through you, trust me when I say you
will be taken to a place of unspeakable joy, especially when you receive a
timely reply from someone sharing their testimony about how your words helped
them through a time of difficulty. Perhaps, there is no more joyful time than
knowing you had the right answers for someone who had a multitude of questions
as to how to deal with their life situations. The Lord is the only One who can
ensure you provide those right answers every time.
3. We learn the importance of listening.
To answer
before listening— that is folly and shame. Proverbs 18:13
When we allow the Lord to communicate with others through us in whatever
relationships we enter into, we not only speak gently, appropriately, and
timely. We learn that there’s a time to speak and a time to listen.
Frankly, I think listening is something we do terribly. Perhaps this is
because we are becoming a people who are more and more self-centered. We all
want to talk and be heard but we’re not willing to hear others. While others
are talking, we’re often focused on what we’re going to say next, so much so
that we can’t even wait for them to finish before we interject something. Maybe
you have thought to yourself, “Did they even hear what I just said?” Often
times, they haven’t.
So what is the right answer to this problem?
It’s the same answer we have seen before. For the Lord, through the work
of the Holy Spirit within us, will lead us to harvest the fruit of patience in
our dealings with others (Galatians 5:22-23). We learn to wait and we also
learn to value and respect others to where we have no problem listening because
we are invested personally in them. What they have to say matters to us because
we care about them and what’s going on in their life. We care like this not so
much because we care on our own level but rather because we care at the Lord’s
level. And He is always ready to listen when we call. We need to do the same
within all relationships of life He brings us into.
Friends, the word of the Lord for us is clear. He wants us to allow Him
to communicate through us so that we enter into and function within
relationships properly.
So will you allow Him to do just that in your life today?
The only right answer is “yes.”
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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