BUILD UP, DON’T TEAR DOWN

“Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.”  Prov. 15:4

     The Gospels instruct us to treat others the way we’d like to be treated. So why is it that we find ourselves speaking unkind words so often? Is that a way we want to be treated ourselves?  We should strive to be more like Christ each day. Are cutting words or an acid tongue emblematic of how Jesus would act? It’s in truly knowing Him that we find our answer.

     In the truest sense of the word, to truly know someone is to know them so completely that you know how they think and what they would say or do in a given situation. I believe this is the type of “knowing” we need regarding God.  We know we need to spend time with our Heavenly Father, so why is it so difficult to actually do it? We should ask the Lord to help us be better time managers.

     My point in all this is that the more we know God, really know Him, the more we will know how He would want us to act in any given situation. It stands to reason that in every case God would want us to speak kind words that heal and help, encourage and edify. When we’re hateful to someone, regardless of the reason why, in the end we don’t feel good about it or ourselves. When we speak with kindness, we are shining the light of Christ on the situation so that others can see how things can be. You’ll feel good about yourself and make others feel good as well.  If you want to make the world a better place, speak with kindness; build up, don’t tear down. Be in the construction business, not in the demolition business.  It’s what Christ has done and what He would have us do as well.  Walk with the King and be a blessing!

NOTE:  The translation used is THE MESSAGE (MSG); Publisher: NavPress.