Power of Words

I finished reading "How to Get a Smart Mouth - The Power of Using Your Words Wisely" by Robin Chaddock.  It was a good reminder of how important it is to balance between speaking up and keeping silent; of the positive effects of encouragement and the negative effects of gossip, and of the need to understand what influences the words that come out of our mouths.  What really stood out, is that a clear illustration of the power of words comes from Genesis, where God brought the world into being through His words.  He spoke, and it was.  And then, of course, in the New Testament, Christ is referred to as The Word.

As I was looking back on some of my recent blog posts, I noticed that in my own life, I have experienced what was written in the book.  "The Word I Would Say" song clearly illustrates encouragement through words.  My blog enty on "Words" shows how words can have a negative effect as well.  And the book of James, which we studied in class, says a lot about the Tongue.

A verse that now comes to mind is Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person."