“The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.”

We have discovered over and over in Proverbs that words are powerful. They are either powerfully good or powerfully bad—but either way, they are powerful. Too many countries will put a person in prison if they don’t like their words. In the U.S., we are accorded freedom of speech as something foundational. Recently, we have even seen a person killed because of their words. Jesus went so far as to tell us that we either speak of Him to others or run the risk of Him not speaking of us to His Father. There is some deep theology there—more than we can unpack in this devotion—but it does show both the power and urgency of what we say. A lot has been made lately of the divisiveness in our country. There’s no question that it has crossed the line into riots and crime. However, the divisiveness is most clearly seen through language. In Solomon’s day, there was no social media or really any media at all. Today, the effect of divisive speech is amplified in those venues. God calls us to speak truth and to speak life. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Therefore, when in doubt, we should just speak Jesus. That doesn’t mean we walk around saying “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” but it does mean that what comes out of our mouths should reflect what we, in earnestly following His Spirit, believe would come out of His mouth. What would come out of His mouth would be love and encouragement, rebuke when necessary, and always truth that values each person as a unique, supernatural creation of His. Today, speak life. #BeTheEdge

“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:32 NIV