Your Lips: Praise or Poison?

WEBVTT

00:00:01.024 --> 00:00:16.324
He was called the King of Cool, but cancer stripped the cool away. Steve McQueen, movie star and race car driver, was facing his final days. He'd flown to Mexico for a risky surgery and asked if Billy Graham would come to visit him.

00:00:16.954 --> 00:00:24.714
In a quiet room on November 3, 1980, they talked and prayed together. Steve admitted he wished he had his Bible with him.

00:00:24.995 --> 00:00:44.274
Billy Graham reached into his bag, pulled out his own well-worn preaching Bible, and wrote a note inside. To my friend, Steve McQueen, Philippians 1-6, and placed it in Steve's hands. Four days later, after the operation, McQueen died of a heart attack.

00:00:40.354 --> 00:00:46.145
Hospital staff found him clutching that Bible to his chest.

00:00:49.110 --> 00:00:52.881
Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Léger.

00:00:53.831 --> 00:01:03.390
Words are powerful things. They can start wars, or they can heal wounds. They can crush a spirit, or call someone back to life.

00:01:08.643 --> 00:01:16.552
And Ephesians 4.29 adds, Don't use foul or abusive language.

00:01:16.942 --> 00:01:27.893
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. That's why, for the question for us today.

00:01:24.513 --> 00:01:35.972
When people hear your voice, do they walk away heavier, or do they walk away lighter? And why does that story about Steve McQueen and Billy Graham matter?

00:01:36.302 --> 00:01:54.313
Well, because in one of the hardest moments of a man's life, a follower of Jesus used simple, living words. He used scripture, and prayer, and a handwritten note to speak hope. Billy's words weren't clever or long.

00:01:49.472 --> 00:01:57.617
They were life-giving. He reminded Steve of a promise.

00:01:54.313 --> 00:02:01.358
Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it.

00:02:01.957 --> 00:02:39.538
That's what it looks like to use your words for good, to speak life, and to point people toward God's promises. You may not get the chance to hand someone a Bible in their last hours, but you will have moments today to speak life or death. It may be at work or at home. It could be on your phone or in a person's greatest moment of need. The truth is, the words that come out of our mouth reveal what's growing in our hearts. If we fill our hearts with grace and God's word and encouragement, that's what's going to overflow.

00:02:36.117 --> 00:02:57.397
If we fill them with bitterness or gossip, that's what spills out instead. So, before you speak today, ask, Will this build someone up or will it tear them down? Will this conversation make Jesus clearer to them or will it blur the picture of him in their mind?

00:02:57.677 --> 00:03:25.038
Let the Spirit filter your words so that what you say reflects who you belong to. Here's today's challenge. Before you speak, pause. Ask God to help you choose words that bring encouragement in life. And if someone comes to mind who's discouraged or maybe they're struggling, how about reaching out to them? Send a verse, a prayer, or a kind word. You never know how God might use that moment to change a heart.

00:03:25.638 --> 00:03:28.647
Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the power of words.

00:03:30.418 --> 00:03:59.647
power for good, to speak truth, encouragement, and hope. Father, please guard our lips from bitterness and fill our hearts with grace so that life flows out of us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, your words matter. Speak life and let God use your voice to lift someone up today. Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.

00:04:00.108 --> 00:04:03.087
Until then, God bless and have a great day.