Daily Devotional for Thursday, October 23

A Word Fitly Spoken

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear,” Proverbs 25:11, 12.

Has anyone been on the internet lately? Specifically, has anyone been on social media lately? We can go one level deeper: has anyone read or engaged in the comment sections of any social media post? It is a snake pit out there! Many misplaced, misused, incorrect and mean words exist. If one person posts about dogs, ten others will point out how little the poster knows about dogs. Ten more will show up to scream at that poster because they hate dogs. Again, it is a snake pit out there. And “real” life is not much better; people put little thought into what they say these days.

That is not God’s plan. God expects us to use correct, accurate, appropriate, wise and kind words. He expects us to use words that are fitly spoken. Time and time again, in His Word, we see commands and counsel on the importance of well-used words. The simile the writer used was very graphic. It is unclear exactly what the two references are, but clearly, they are fine works of craftsmanship done with fine materials. Then, two seemingly unrelated things are paired to emphasize the earlier statement.

All of our words matter. Words of encouragement, instruction and even rebuke matter. Well-chosen words can make a rebuke or correction easier for the recipient. Words not fitly chosen can destroy relationships. As the writer described, our words have value or are useless or harmful. Are your words like apples of gold in pictures of silver? Do you use fitly spoken words?

JUST A THOUGHT

If we spent as much time considering the words we are about to say as we did saying them, things would generally go much better for everyone.

Wally Fry