What’s in a word?
2 Timothy 2:14-19
14 Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19 But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
Words matter to God. One of Jesus’ names is ‘The Word’. God created by speaking the world into being. When people were called to follow God in the Bible, they were often given new names, names that were a reflection of the calling on their lives. Words are powerful.
In this passage we are warned of the negative power than even ‘irreverent babble’ can have. Words than can seem relatively harmless can spread like gangrene and affect the faith of those around us. They can affect our own hearts too. Some time ago I was frustrated in one of my ministry roles. I found I was often complaining about it to loved ones, and the more I spoke negatively of it, the more bitter I got. In the end I realised my careless words had spread gangrene within my own heart. I decided to stop complaining about it and instead tried to share stories of good that I was seeing come out of this ministry. And sure enough, my heart changed as my words did. A role that I had considered giving up I am now seeing God work through, and I’m loving being part of that!
Thank you, Lord, that your word is always true. Thank you that your word does not waiver; it is the firm foundation on which we can stand. Please help us to treat our words with care, help us to realise the power we yield when we speak, and help us to use our words to speak truth and life, just as you do.
Written by Rhiannon Mellor