Every day you and I give people an impression of who Jesus is by the words we use.  Are they hearing, or reading, words from you which would draw them to Christ or push them away?  Are you using words which draw you into greater relationship with God or words which create distance?  Over the next 28 days I will be sharing from the devotional journal, “Watch Your Mouth”, with the prayer that it helps you discover some of what God has to say about choosing words which honor Him.

Here is day four with an important reminder that watching your mouth should lead you to use gentle words.

Choose Gentle Words

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

When was the last time someone’s harsh words have caused you pain?  When do you think the last time was that your harsh words hurt someone?  Is it easy to respond to the harshness of others with gentle words?  What is required to do so?  How have you been influenced by the gentle words of others?  Have you experienced a dissolving of hurt and anger in your life through the gentle words that others have spoken to you?

The writer of Proverbs states that a gentle answer can turn away wrath but it can also break a bone!  Gentle words are not a sign of weakness; rather they are a sign of appropriateness.  We must choose gentle words because they are right.  It is God’s gentleness with us that restores us to Him.  As you pray, ask God to give you a moldable heart that is filled with gentleness.  Pray that the words you choose to use would reflect the gentleness that God has used with you.  Pray that the people around you would see the Spirit of God in you as you speak gently to them.  Pray that you would know how to combine truth and gentleness in your words.

In prayer,

Tom