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Words of Love

We need a lot of work here.

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

  - Ephesians 4.29

My speech – may it praise You without flaw:
May my heart love You, King of heaven and earth.
My speech – may it praise You without flaw:
Make it easy for me, pure Lord,
to do You all service and to adore You.

  - Anonymous, Irish, 12th century[1]

The Apostle James reminds us that faith without works is dead (Jms. 2.17). Believing Jesus involves understanding Who He is and what He requires; loving Him above all else; valuing His priorities and Kingdom; and obeying what our mind, heart, and conscience affirm.

Faith comes to light in obedience, and obedience is expressed in words and deeds. Our waking moments are filled with these; thus, everything we say, and all we do has the potential for showing Jesus to the world.

For this to happen, we need to pay careful attention to all our words and deeds, making the best use of them for the glory of God (Matt. 5.13-16; Eph. 5.15-17; 1 Cor. 10.31). Because our tongues – our words – are the hardest members to tame, we need to devote ourselves more conscientiously to making sure the words that come out of our mouths are words of love for God and our neighbors (Jms. 3.2-5).

Today we will distribute words here and there, to this person and that, much of the time without a great deal of thought or concern. “Hey, how you doin’?” “What’s up?” “Fine, just fine; you?” “How was your day?” “Please pass the salt.” “Will you hand me the remote?”

When we consider what a great gift it is to be able to communicate with words, in sentences adorned by emphasis, pace, carefully-crafted grammar, and appropriate volume, it seems a shame that we should ever utter even a single word without selecting it carefully, like a master bowman would an arrow, and aiming it at a consciously-chosen target.

Speaking, after all, is a kind of art form, and one of those “all things” areas where we have the potential for glorifying God throughout the day.

The words that pass from us to others are fraught with potential, either for good or ill. If we wish them to be the former, then we must nurture love for Christ and our neighbors in our hearts and make it our business to serve and adore the Lord with all our speech. But seasoning our words with grace doesn’t come naturally (Col. 4.6); we’ll have to work at this discipline, like any other.

We show that we love Christ in conversation when we devote our words as vessels of love to build others up in grace. And, like anything devoted to the Lord, we should try to make our words as spotless, faultless, and pure as we can.

“My speech – may it praise You without flaw.” This humble prayer, offered at various times throughout the day, can remind us of the goal of all our conversation, which is to minister grace to others through speech that edifies, words that attract others to Jesus and urge them to become more like Him. They who experience edification and uplift from our words will linger and pay attention when we speak, and this can make all our speech, no matter the subject or duration, part of an ongoing conversation about the grace of God and the Good News of His Kingdom.

Let’s not be sloppy about our speech, but seek to “do all service” to the Lord and show our adoration for Him by the way we use our words to edify others.

Devote your conversations to the Lord and offer them up each day as sweet music to His and your neighbors’ ears.

Psalm 141.3, 4 (Truro: Shout, for the Blessed Jesus Reigns!)
Lord, set a guard upon my mouth;
Let not my heart to evil bend,
Nor let me work iniquity
In company with wicked men.

Lord, grant me gentleness in place of wrath, joy in place of sorrow, tranquility in place of anxiety, and, where necessary, silence in place of speech. Adapted from Litany of the Saviour.

Mission Partners Outreach
You can learn to use your words to encourage others and build them up, and even to open the door for conversations about your love for Jesus. Our Mission Partners Outreach is designed to help you and a friend do just that. This six-month course will help you begin using your words in your Personal Mission Field so that rivers of living water flow to refresh and renew the people to whom God sends you each day. The Mission Partners Outreach is designed for you and a friend, meeting twice a month, and working through a series of videos and studies. The course and all its materials are free, and you can learn more about it, and register for it, by clicking here.

The Lord provides for the needs of The Fellowship of Ailbe by moving on the hearts of those who benefit from our work and believe in our mission. If that includes you, please seek the Lord in prayer concerning this opportunity. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.



[1]Davies, p. 260.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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