Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK

"The God of Power” (Part 3)
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God." – Luke 1:35
,br /> Perhaps the greatest gift we have been given as God’s greatest creation is the ability to communicate. The capacity to speak and understand one another—it enhances the joy of our relationships.
However—words can also be our worst enemy. The words we speak and the way we speak them impacts relationships in ways that are beyond to understand.
As we have been talking about the “Power of God,” another avenue of how this power reveals itself is this…it will CHANGE THE WAY WE SPEAK!
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." -Colossians 4:6

"The power of the spoken word has more destructive power than any army. Harsh, cruel words have destroyed more relationships than swords or guns have killed." – copied
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." – James 3:10
Often lost in the Biblical account of the birth of Christ is that of the “other couple:” Elizabeth and Zechariah. When told by the angel that his wife was going to have a baby, Zechariah’s response was less than positive, and what did he end up losing for the next 9 months?
A testimony of the power of words:

Mary had grown up knowing that she was different from the other kids, and she hated it. She was born with a cleft palate and had to bear the jokes and stares of cruel children who teased her non-stop about her misshaped lip, crooked nose, and garbled speech.
With all the teasing, Mary grew up hating the fact that she was "different". She was convinced that no one, outside her family, could ever love her...that she had nothing to offer…that is until she entered Mrs. Leonard's class. Mrs. Leonard had a warm smile, a round face, and shiny brown hair. While everyone in her class liked her, Mary came to love Mrs. Leonard.
In the 1950's, it was common for teachers to give their children an annual hearing test. However, in Mary's case, in addition to her cleft palate, she was barely able to hear out of one ear. Determined not to let the other children have another "difference" to point out, she would cheat on the test each year. The "whisper test" was given by having a child walk to the classroom door, turn sideways, close one ear with a finger, and then repeat something which the teacher whispered. Mary turned her bad ear towards her teacher and pretended to cover her good ear. She knew that teachers would often say things like, "The sky is blue," or "What color are your shoes?" But not on that day. Surely, God put seven words in Mrs. Leonard's mouth that changed Mary's life forever. When the "Whisper test" came, Mary heard the words: "I wish you were my little girl."
That one act of influence changed Mary’s life. She began to act and feel important. Her grades improved until she was the top student in her class.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." – Ephesians 4:29
Words have the ability to hurt or heal. Our words can trash or they can train. They can lift up, or let down!
When we utter the words, “Merry Christmas,” do we know what we are saying? It just might have more impact than what we may think.
Pastor J. T. Carnell