Your words can change your world
(This insightful article was written by my wife Marie)
Reading the story of Noah this year brought it into a different light, here's what I saw.
Noah was given a CLEAN SLATE. You could say he and his family were entering a New Year. The bad guys were gone. Only his family remained. Eight family members to SHAPE THE WORLD any way they wanted.
If God had wiped out all evil thru the flood, and Noah's family were the only ones left, how did the world end-up messy again?
I believe WORDS changed their world.
GOD's Words Are Dependable
Listen to God's words to Noah before the flood: "" Go into the ark, you and your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.
Listen to God's words to Noah after the flood: ""Never again will I curse the ground because of manI now establish my covenant with you and the generations after you-
All of God's words to Noah were WORDS OF BLESSING, wisdom for him and his descendants. Noah had it made!
Man's Words Are Not As Reliable
Now, let's check MAN TALKING after the Flood: The Bible talks of an incident where Noah gets drunk and lay uncovered.. (Genesis 9:21) Noah's son Ham, ""saw his father's nakedness and told his brothers outside.-
Ham saw his father in an embarrassing condition, but instead of communicating discreetly and respectfully, he chose to embarrass and expose this godly man publicly.
Realize that Noah was a righteous man who was not perfect. Ham used his words to DISHONOR his dad, their authority figure. He spread a BAD REPORT about him.
It made me think: How many godly leaders have we gossiped about and proudly criticized? Fellow Christians that we have embarrassed publicly? Perhaps thru the Internet?
To add to the family drama, Noah found out what his son did, and begun to CURSE !
""CURSED BE CANAAN! THE LOWEST OF SLAVES WILL HE BE TO HIS BROTHERS.""
Our Out Of Control Mouths
Noah, didn't just get mad at his son Ham, he cursed his grandson Canaan too. And his grandson didn't even do anything. Noah spoke exactly the REVERSE of God's promises to his family.
Any of these sound familiar? What a hopeless case!"" ""This country is going to the dogs,"" "" You're an idiot!""
We habitually say ""God damn it!"" then get surprised when He does damn your life. Noah, in his fit of anger, cursed his family. The very one he built the ark for. God had spoken blessing, but Noah UNDID the blessing with his own words.
Noah also provoked sibling rivalry by blessing his two other sons and belittling the third: ""Blessed be The Lord, the God of Shem. May Canaan be the slave of Shem....May God extend the territory of Japheth...And may Canaan be his slave."" (Genesis 9:25-26)
Make A Difference This Year
Noah lived 350 more years after the flood. There is no mention of him or his sons ever apologizing or taking back any of their careless words. How sad!His three sons and their descendants began to live alienated from each other, eventually becoming enemies down the generations.
God wanted to bless Man.But Man had chosen to curse his brand new world, with careless words. Our words have WEIGHT in God's eyes.Those words will chart your life in 2014 and beyond.
This year may we choose to speak wisely and not carelessly. As we change our words, we will change our world.
""Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear."" Ephesians 4:29
""From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.My brothers, these things ought not to be so."" James 3:10
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