Monday, February 17, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Romans 10

In the beginning—God said—and there were heavens and earth, light and dark, water and land, creatures and mankind. Wow! God spoke creation into existence (Genesis 1:1-31). What a demonstration of how powerful words can be!

Scripture reminds us that the words we choose have the potential to bring more than just wonderful things. Unfortunately, they can cause hurt or harm as well.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

How many times has someone come to you with an issue, but when you tried to give them advice, they refused to listen? Or maybe you wanted to give a compliment, but it ended up awkward? Or in the moment, words came out of your mouth that you immediately wished you could take back?

Matthew 12:36 tells us that we will one day give an account of the words we speak. I can remember words that have been spoken over me that were painful and others that were powerfully life changing. Don’t we all want our words to be helpful?

Unfortunately, humans focus on the negative words we hear. Did you know that, on average, it takes five positive statements to wipe out the effect of a single negative one? Conversing, we can get caught up in this “Crazy Cycle” of unhelpful/unhealthful words that lead to a reaction in the other person, which causes more unhelpful/unhealthful words that lead to more reactions, and so on. The good news is we can choose the words we use.

If you have a better understanding of your own temperament, you might be able to choose your words more wisely. Words that build up rather than tear down. We don’t have to rely on our default settings. There are tools available to help us determine why “when I said this, you heard that,” such as the assessment offered in the CedarCreek app.

Psalm 139:13-14 explains that God made us wonderfully complex. We are individuals, uniquely created by a God who truly loves each one of us. There is no other person just like you, and that’s exactly how he intended it. We are all beautiful in our own way! Our unique design equips us to make a difference, both in our actions and in our speech.

Bottom line: Choose helpful and healthful words.

Questions:
Do you know your temperament? What makes you uniquely you?

Next Steps:
Take the assessment offered in the CedarCreek app and find out what your temperament is. Thank God for crafting you as uniquely as you are.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for crafting me individually and uniquely. You create such beauty in this world. Help me appreciate others more as I learn to use words that build myself and others up. Thank you for giving me words to express the wonderful work you are doing in and through me, and others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Proverbs 18:21
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

This post was written by Julie Estep, a Perrysburg attendee and regular contributor to the LivingItOut.