The mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45 (NIV)
If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. James 1:26 (NLT)
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Prov. 12:18 (ESV)
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Col. 4:6 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, not just for this April Monday, but every day, we need this tapestry of your Words. Because nothing has greater potential for good and evil than our words—both in the conversations we carry on in our hearts, and the interactions we have during the day.
We don’t want to contradict our love for you by an irresponsible use of our words. We don’t want to speak like a man “thrusting a sword,” bent on harm.” We want our words to bring healing, grace and life.
Whatever fills our hearts fuels our thinking and shapes our speaking. So, before we have our first conversation today, we choose to set our minds, hearts, and affection on you. Fill our hearts so full of the beauty and grace of Jesus, it’ll be difficult to shame, hurt, or marginalize anyone today.
Father, you are so good to us. With your everlasting love and tenderness, you drew us to yourself; by your kindness you led us to repentance, and with unbreakable cords of love you keep us. In Jesus, we’re as forgiven and righteous, desired and enjoyed, known and secure, as we’ll ever be. Praise your holy and generous name.
Nothing we can do can separate us from your love, cause you to regret saving us, or put you in a bad mood towards us. Your love is the most dependable, delight-full, and unwavering thing in our lives.
Nothing can derail your redemptive plan for our lives, or for the entire cosmos. From the overflow of such amazing standing in grace, compel us to speak life to others today. May our words be even 3% as kind and helpful as the gospel is true and awesome. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ great and gracious name.
