Proverbs 18;21 ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.’
- DAILY READING – Revelation 5; Nehemiah 7:5-8:12; Psalm 100
Evidence of the power of the tongue to bless can be seen in the Jewish tradition of the Shabbat. Every week as the sun sets on Friday evening the Jewish holiday of Shabbat begins, to end when the sun sets on Saturday. And on Friday nights the father or mother lays hands on their children’s heads and recites special blessings upon them.
The result of this tradition of blessing is that today Jews rank among the best and the highest in every field of endeavor in the world. Though they are only 0.2 percent of the world’s population, they win an astonishing 22 percent of Nobel Prizes, more than any other ethnicity in the world. They also account for 53 percent of the recipients of the Pulitzer prize for general nonfiction. And Jews form 85% of people in the world with an IQ over 170. Israel’s critics who have continually forecast the decline and fall of Zionism and the Jewish state have had their predictions proven wrong, as the Nation continues to thrive. Israel is not only a significant military power (and in the region, a superpower) but also a formidable economic machine. The power of blessing is indeed evident in Israel’s amazing progress.
Proverbs 18:21 teaches us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Indeed words are powerful.
In Genesis, Chapter 1, God created the universe by the power of His words. Then He created Adam and Eve in His own image, thereby placing creative power in our tongues, too. We must therefore choose our words carefully. King David, prayed in Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord”
Words are seeds, once spoken, it is only a matter of time before they bear fruits. And whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap. We must therefore be careful to sow right seeds that will bear right fruits tomorrow. The words of blessing Jewish parents have been speaking over their children through the centuries is producing the good fruits the Jewish generation is seeing today.
And if parents can adopt this Jewish tradition of blessing their children rather than berating them at every opportunity, we will indeed have a better generation of youths, doing exploits in the world. Meditating upon the Word of God will help us speak the right words, because it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. In Joshua 1:7,8 God told Joshua “Be strong and very courageous…Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night.”
No matter, the temptation let us avoid negative speaking. Let our tongues steer our destiny along the line of God’s will. Let us speak only that which is in agreement with the word of God. As we commit to speak rightly by God’s grace we shall reap a bountiful harvest of good things. .
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to speak right ,to bless with my mouth and allow my words to be a blessing to those around me. Let the continual flow of your praise come from my mouth at all times in Jesus Name.
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Your heart needs to be filled with The Word of God to the point of overflow. – WORDBITE 222