The Power Of Words

I love you. I hate you. Your are worthless. You are gifted. You are beautiful. You are ugly. You are talented. You are a failure. 

Though the children say. "Sticks and stones may break my bones words will never hurt me," they all too soon find such a sentiment is not true. Words wound. Words also heal. Words inspire. Words discourage. Words inform. Words transform. Words deceive. Words abuse.

The power of words. As I write this I am biting into that truth. The power of words. More specifically the power of God's words. Sometimes God rebukes and calls sin out and for people to repent. Sometimes God comforts. He uses His word to invite people to join Him, and He uses His word to inform us further aiding our maturing in Him. 

What words have you heard today? How have those words impacted you. I have mostly been alone today. The most impactful words have been the scriptures I read in the book of Ezra. 

Ezra 7:10 (ESV)
¹⁰  For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.




There is a lot in this short verse. There are four instructions I take away. 

First, I am to study like Ezra studied. That means I am to seek, diligently search, inquire and frequently tread upon the scriptures. There is always something more to learn. Deeper truths to mine like gold. More understanding to be gained and deeper revelations to receive. Like Ezra I want to devote myself to study. Not just speed reading through the Bible to check it off my list. I want to study. To inquire. To probe the texts and the heart of God. I want go beyond the surface meaning of a scripture and dig a little deeper. I want to research the rich meaning of words. All of this is entailed in study. 

I don't just want to study any old book. I want to devote myself to studying the law of God. That includes the Old Testament. All Ezra had was the Torah. We are blessed to have the New Testament as well in our day. Studying sacred scriptures is a life long quest. God has preserved His mind and heart in a sacred book of words. Tragically many do not make the systematic study of this book a high priority. 

There is so much to learn, to discover, to behold, to experience if we will just study the Bible. Magazines and novels do not hold my interest like the word of God. The Bible fascinates the serious student. 

I don't want to stop there. Ezra didn't. He studied the law but He also sough to do the law. That means he lived to observe, execute, and perform the very truth he studied. He sought to live out the law. He strove to practice what he preached. 

There is not supposed to be a disconnect between what we study and how we live. They are to be intertwined. We are supposed to put into practice and live out the very truths we learn. While this should be common place in the church today it often is not. Hypocrisy abounds. Facades and fakes make up the local flock. It ought not be this way. 

Finally, he taught the law in Israel. He instructed people in the ways of God and the truths of God. We all can do this. Parents are required to instruct their children in the word of God. Grandparents are required to do the same for their grandchildren. Teachers are to instruct students. Pastors instruct the flock entrusted to them. Authors instruct readers. Fellow believers instruct one another. Spouses can offer insight into word of God for one another. So can friends. 

We all need instruction. You may be both a teacher in some realm of life and also a student. I spend a good portion of my days in study, peaching, and teaching. I am also a student. Just last week I spent several hours at the feet of the masterful wordsmith, Vance Havner, listening to several of his recorded messages. Havner preached for about six decades. He started when he was only 12 and did not quit until his death. There is much to be learned from a faithful servant of God like that. 

In conclusion, how do the words study, law, do, and teach impact you today. I hope these are your aims as they are mine. The power of words. Four little words. An eternal impact.