Listen to this devotion
Wise Words
In the Word
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction (Proverbs 16:23).
Of the Word
What can happen at 90 degrees below zero on the Fahrenheit scale?
Your breath freezes in midair and falls to the ground.
Cold, icy words become the building blocks for icy walls that separate people from each other. The best way to avoid those walls is to be quiet when your heart turns cold. Pause. Ask God to warm your heart and your words. A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction (Proverbs 16:23).
If the icy wall has already been constructed, chisel away at it with God’s Word. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:4–5). When God enables us to live out these words, icy walls melt.
Spend time in prayer today. Ask God’s forgiveness for your cold, icy words. Ask Him to help you forgive a person who has hurt you. Then stand back. Watch God change that icy wall into a refreshing mountain stream.
Walking with my Lord
Lord, forgive me for the cold, icy words that come out of my mouth. Help me forgive those whose words have hurt me. In Your forgiving name I pray. Amen.
Mustard Seed: Simple Trust. Elaine Bickel, author. 19/29 ©2011 Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, 801 Seminary Place Ste. L010, St. Louis, MO 63105. www.lwml.org
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations were taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide.
