Words are powerful. As I write, international
relations have been rocked, long standing
alliances have been shaken by a few words
spoken in a press conference, or written in a
‘group chat’!
Yet we can all think of examples of empty words,
words which proved to be worthless. The
employee who is promised her job is safe, only to
be fired six months later. Empty, useless words?
But it wasn’t the words which were the problem.
The problem was the person doing the speaking
– a careless and dishonest boss! The truth is that
our words express who we are. If our words are
unreliable and devious, it’s because we are
unreliable and devious. If our words have power
and integrity, that’s the outcome of personal
integrity.
That link between words and character is often
seen in the Bible; for example, ‘the tongue of the
wise brings healing’ Proverbs 12 v18. Empty
words don’t reflect badly on the words
themselves. Rather they reflect upon the
character of the speaker. Words that fail or
damage reflect not so much on the nature of
words, as the kind of people we are.
Thankfully there are some words which never
fail, which are never empty.
When I came to understand and trust the words
I read in the Bible, everything changed! When I
understood that Jesus had come to seek and
save the lost; that I was one of those lost people;
that his death on the Cross was in my place, and
that through his life I could have life – God
forgave me all my sins! God gave me a future to
look forward to! Powerful words! It was
as Jesus said: ‘whoever hears my word and
believes him who sent me has eternal life and
will not be condemned; he has crossed over
from death to life’ John 5 v24.
That isn’t just my story. It’s the story of anyone
who puts their trust in the words of Jesus.
Those words of the gospel have enormous
power. As the Apostle Paul wrote ‘I am not
ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power
of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes’ Romans 1 v16.
Why are they such powerful words? Because
those gospel words are not just human words
but the very words of God! The Apostle Paul
was able to say to some who heard his message
‘you accepted it not as the word of men, but as
it actually is, the word of God’ 1 Thessalonians 2
v13.
Here then is the secret to words of real power,
and utter reliability: the God of the Bible is a
speaker! And his words are powerful because
He is powerful. Because of who He is, His Word
changes lives!
Are you listening?
Simon