Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and those who love it will eat of its fruit."
Recently, God's been teaching me to truly tame my tongue. To live like I actually believe that truth. I actually used that verse as a challenge for myself and the children and youth that are in the class I teach at my dad's church (as well as a couple of the girls I mentor), after breaking down exactly what it means.
See, I've known that verse for a very long time; but I've learned that there are many different levels of understanding when it comes to God and His Word. I've reached a new one as far as that verse is concerned; and now God's helping me live it out. Let's take a closer look at it...maybe you (whoever reads this) can work on it with me as well.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue...
Tongue obviously means the words we speak. But what if a person is mute? Well, in all reality, it's not just about the words we use; it's about any form of communication-from speech to sign language. So, the words we use have enough power to either create life or destroy it. (Really, one could go so far as to say that body language is a form of communication; and that it too has the power to create or destroy. Have you ever been hurt by a person's actions or body language? I have.) Let's move on...
...and those who love it...
Who loves what? Well, "it" refers to language, or speaking; and anyone who uses "it" loves "it". So I'm pretty sure that's all of us. Unless of course you've taken a vow of silence recently, and are not using anything at all to communicate with others; in which case you may be exempt. Haha, but the rest of us definitely fall into the "love it" category.
...will eat of its fruit.
Once again "it" is referring to the things we say. The picture I painted for my class was this:
Imagine you're a farmer, and you're planting seeds. You choose which seeds to sow, and the seeds you sow grow into plants that bear fruit. The fruit your plants will bear depends entirely on what was sown by you. Your words are seeds, and there are only two types of seed available: death and life. If you sow seeds of life, when the time comes for your plants to bear fruit, you will eat life. If you sow seeds of death, when the time comes for your plants to bear fruit, you will eat death. These seeds can be planted in your life, a situation, or the life of someone you know; but regardless of where it's sown, the sower will eat it. Maybe your "plant" will grow quickly (like tomatoes), or maybe it will take some time (like a pumpkin or watermelon); but it will grow. And you will eat it. Here's something else God showed me and my class: we may plant a seed, but God is the One Who decides how quickly it grows and how big it gets. If that's the case, even the smallest seed of life can grow into a very large fruit! And if we add body language to this, even the smallest thing (maybe a simple, but sincere smile) can change a life forever.
Jesus said that the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy; but that He came so that we can have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:9-11). God said that He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us-to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). In a different version, it says: He knows the thoughts He thinks toward us, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give us hope and a future. God wants life for us; in fact, as I mentioned before, He wants us to have life more abundantly. According to dictionary.com, the word abundant means:
| 1. | present in great quantity; more than adequate; oversufficient: an abundant supply of water. |
| 2. | well supplied; abounding: a river abundant in salmon. |
| 3. | richly supplied: an abundant land. |
It gets even better, the antonyms are sparse and scarce.
Crazy! Many people have this picture of a judgmental, condemning God; but 1 John 4:8b says it best
God is love.
Plain and simple. In fact, looking at this verse in context really puts it into perspective.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:7-11
Basically, God really loves you. He sent His Son to die for you. Now, God wants abundant life for you. I challenge you to not only accept His gift of love; but to walk it out in the words you speak.
Choose Life, speak life, and live abundantly.
much love.
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