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You Never Know Who Is Listening

 I recently received a Facebook message from a person with whom I last spoke in 1987 - 33 years ago. Our conversation was about the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics basketball teams. As an all-knowing 22 year old recent college graduate, I stated to him that the Lakers would never equal the Celtics number of  NBA championships. He messaged me to revel in the fact that the Lakers just won their 17th championship and were now tied the Celtics.

When I began reading his message I was a little confused, then I realized who this was and I remembered the context of the conversation. It kind of took my breath away. This person had been holding on to my statement for 33 years! This sent my spirit reeling. How many other people were holding on to statements I made over the years. How many of my off-handed remarks were still affecting others consciously or subconsciously? As has happened several times before, I was humbled and frightened by the power of words.

Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Our words are affecting those around us. We are having a tremendous impact upon them, whether we know it or not. Check out what the Apostle James had to say about our tongues in James 1:19-27 and James 3.

Heavenly Father, 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

Amen

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