When I was a pastor in Clarksburg, West Virginia, there was a member of the church by the name of Husky. He was in his mid 70’s when I was his pastor. There were times he would come by my office just to talk. He was a delightful person. He had served in the Navy. One day he brought me a picture of himself as a boxer in the Navy.
We’ve explored the power of words in Part 1, 2, and 3 of this series and explored the biblical foundation of encouragement from one of Paul’s writings. Over the next few days I will share some of the encouraging words I have received from others. Encouraging words are intended to be shared. The first encouraging word comes from my childhood.
Robert Fulghum, in his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, tells a story of the Solomon Islanders.
Some of the villagers practice a unique form of logging. If a tree is too large to be felled with an ax, the natives cut it down by yelling at it.
-by Tim Bias
Are you familiar with the cartoon B.C.?
There are two primary characters: A woman who carries the big stick and a snake. Most of the time the woman is beating the snake with her stick.
One day, she is walking up one side of a hill and the snake is coming up the other side of the hill. They meet at the time and the woman realizes that she does not have her stick.
So, she looks at the snake and says, “Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!”
In the next frame the snake is in a hundred pieces. The caption reads, “O the power of the spoken word.”
Is that what Paul meant when he wrote, “Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.”? Ephesians 4:29 (Today’s English Version)
Read more about Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Read Part 1 of An Encouraging Word
Words are Powerful -Tim Bias In the small town where I grew up, there was a doctor who had the reputation of drinking beer. I really don’t care whether he drank beer or not, but that was his reputation. His yellow Jeep was often parked at “Jimmy’s Drive-In.”
It is interesting that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus at all. It’s even more interesting that he wrote what we know as Ephesians 4:25-5:2. If he had to say it, does it mean that there were problems with the way people spoke to one another?
Our Lenten journey begins tomorrow. As we said earlier, Jesus and the Cross come first. Jesus consciously chose a path of trust in God’s plan and purpose. He made his decision to meet us and reach out to us in our moments of weakness, sin, and failure. He set his face toward Jerusalem, anticipating what […]
Our Lenten journey begins this week with Ash Wednesday. Lent is a forty day journey of spiritual preparation. This is a season where we recall and reflect upon God’s redemptive work in and through Jesus Christ.
In every generation there are those who say, “We have never been this way before.” But at no time in recent history have we faced the enormity of change we are facing today. When the ground starts moving under our feet, and when we feel we do not have a firm foundation upon which to […]
Read Part 1 God Sent Jesus to Teach Us How to Live the Holy Life Holiness is a major part of Matthew’s gospel. Matthew calls it “righteousness” or “holiness.” The word “holiness” comes from a Greek word which means “set apart” or “different.” For Matthew, being a Christ follower means that you and I are “set […]