Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Jason Gray singing … Glow In the Dark … powerfully singing of how God wants us to share His words of love/grace with others rather than hurting them with what we say or write.
"Sticks and stones ... "
==============Highlight Verse[s]: 1 Samuel 1:6-7 [NLT] … 6 So Peninnah [one of Elkanah’s two wives] would taunt Hannah [the second wife] and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.
… Words can - and often do hurt us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: 1 Samuel 1:1-8 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The story of how Hannah was deeply hurt by another who taunted her about her childlessness.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 27:12-14 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… David sings and prays that he be led away from enemies who falsely accuse him of wrong doing.
Reference Passage : … Proverbs 12:18 [NLT] … 18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.
… Words can hurt deeply. Hence we need to be around people who speak wisdom and healing into our lives.
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:29 [NLT] … 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
… God, thru Paul, exhorts Christians to use only words that give encouragement or grace to the hearers.
Reference Passage : … James 3:7-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru James, teaches on the power of the tongue to do good or evil.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, uses a personal reflection to illustrate how powerful our words can be to either help or hurt others. And the ODB author wrote: “Skinny bones, skinny bones,” the boy taunted. “Stick,” another chimed. In return, I could have chanted “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But even as a little girl, I knew the popular rhyme wasn’t true. Unkind, thoughtless words did hurt—sometimes badly, leaving wounds that went deeper and lasted much longer than a welt from a stone or stick.
In today’s highlight Scripture, we read of Hannah being hurt deeply when her fellow wife taunted her about her childlessness. And as the photo depicts, we know the old saying about “sticks and stones” is TOTALLY FALSE. Our words, especially in this day of social media, can be deeply hurtful to others. BUT, … on the other hand, what we say can also lift others up with edification or encouragement.
God, thru the reference Scriptures above, calls on us, in His family, to avoid any words that would hurt others (see Eph. 4:29 or James 3:7-12), rather choosing to use only words which provide encouragement or grace to the hearers. As Jason Gray sings, in the linked song, we are to use our words to “glow in the dark.”
So, as we go thru this day, let’s see if we can purposely edify others with spoken encouragement. I know God will smile if we do.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us the ability to speak encouragement and grace into the lives of others.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to purposefully speak joy and love into the lives of others today with words of encouragement. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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