Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Thursday July 17 2025
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Ephesians 4:29-Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
The words that we choose to use can be the channel of some of our greatest blessings, and also the channel for some of our greatest curses.
I was thinking recently about a couple that I worked with in another state some years back. They were going through a rough patch, and they had sought me out for some guidance from the Bible. One of the things that came up almost immediately was an argument that they had about his parents. In the heat of the argument, his wife had referred to them with some picturesque and unflattering descriptions, and he had responded with some imaginative and hurtful words about her siblings.
As I was sitting listening to this and taking it all in, I asked them if they had ever resolved that argument and made amends towards each other. They assured me that they had indeed done so when the argument took place….
Which was in the year 1984.
😳
All of this to say: words can hold on to us and have a lasting impact. Even though this couple had their argument years earlier, the deep hurt of those words still remained. They had forgiven each other, but forgiveness does not always remove the pain of the event. As such, sometimes we have to keep on forgiving someone for offenses that occurred as the memory and pain of those events keeps coming back. This all goes to show the amazing power of words.
If you are like me, you grew up with the rhyme, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We know from the experiences of life that this is not true. Words can have a lasting and profound impact, for good or for evil. Paul’s words to the Ephesians are extremely powerful in illustrating this. Look at how this verse is rendered in another translation:
Ephesians 4:29 (TPT)-And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them.
Let’s do our best to use healing words.
Someone posted recently on Facebook: “Everyone is dealing with something that you don’t know about. Please be kind.” There is such wisdom in this! Even when we speak God’s Word to correct a person’s life or lifestyle, let us do our best to be as as kind as we can be in how and what we say.
Ephesians 4:15-but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
2 Timothy 2:24-26-And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Sometimes, the truth will offend people who are living in sin. We should never compromise the truth: but we should also do our best to share God’s Word in as loving a way as possible.
Lord, help us to develop words that are kind and graceful. Give us wisdom for what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. Help us to be like You. Amen.
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