“Our worlds are created by the words spoken to us, and with our words we create the world around us. We have the power to speak life or death. We need to be like Jesus and speak words of life.”- Kyle Idleman
“Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many are forgiven — for she loved much.”- Luke 7:47 (ESV)
Kyle Idleman moves on in Chapter 8 of One At a Time with Luke’s account of A Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-50). The woman, a prostitute or adulteress, heard Jesus was eating at a Pharisee’s (Simon) house. Representing everything the Pharisees detested, the woman burst through the door uninvited. And she broke all the rules.
Most significantly, the alabaster jar of perfume she broke open and poured over Jesus’s feet symbolized the life she once lived. And where she placed her trust. However, now the woman gave that all up. Because Jesus offered her a new life, she focused on Jesus and put her trust in Him
Yet, it’s easy for us to assume that our words carry little power. As a result, we refuse to be strategic about the words we choose. Back in the 1840s, most doctors totally rejected Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis’s message for three reasons:
- The doctor failed to explain why washing hands mattered. Above all, the other doctors mocked Dr. Semmelweis for stressing the importance of washing their hands.
- The suggestions seemed self-indicting. If Ignaz was correct, then the many deaths of mothers from childbed fever were actually their fault. So, the doctors chose not to admit that they had, even unintentionally, caused all that grief.
- The message seemed too simple. With all their education, the doctors chafed at accepting such a basic solution as ‘wash your hands.’ But Ignaz challenged them to just try his idea and see if it worked.
Today’s question: What most helps you to, like Jesus, speak words of life? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Speak words of affection”
