Speak: February 13, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 13, 2013.

SPEAK

DEFINITION:

To utter words or articulate sounds with the ordinary voice; to communicate vocally; to converse.

SCRIPTURE:

If anyone speaks, he should do as one speaking the very words of God. I Peter 4:11

But Jesus remained silent. Matthew 26:63

LEARNING AND EXPERIENCE:

We all learn, often the hard way that at times it is right to speak up and at times it is better to remain silent. When Jesus was taken before the high priest and getting close to His trial, they wanted testimony against Jesus so they could put Him to death. In Matthew 26:63 we are told that Jesus kept silent and answered nothing. Jesus, in this passage, was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 53:7.

We are not told why Jesus kept silent but certainly Jesus had a reason and a purpose to remain silent. Jesus knew God’s plan and the purpose of His trial and He also knew what was in the hearts of the accusers. They were desperate to find a reason to get rid of Jesus. For Jesus to respond to their false charges would have been futile. Their minds were made up.

Yes, there is a time for all of us to speak and a time for us to keep quiet. Unfortunately, many people do not know when to keep quiet. It seems that at times some people just like to hear themselves talk. And then there are others who argue for arguments sake and love to have the last word.

In the above scripture from I Peter we are told that when we speak, we are to speak as one speaking the very words of God. What this means is that all of our conversations should honor God and be in keeping with the laws of God as written for us in God’s Word. For most believers this is difficult to do but it is the way God wants us to speak. 

Early in His ministry, Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees and exposed their wrong thinking and motives. When He needed to, He spoke.  Saying nothing may allow wrongdoers to go unchallenged in their evil ways. Everyone who knows the Word of God knows the truth and therefore must speak out to refute those who are proclaiming untruth.

When John wrote I John his purpose was to correct false teaching, so when he heard about the false teachings of some of the churches he spoke up against them.

Paul was always very concerned about what he spoke and how he spoke. His first priority was to speak the gospel message, the very words of God. Paul desired not only to speak the truth about Jesus but he wanted to speak it boldly. In Ephesians 6:19 he asked for others to “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”

In the New Testament the word “boldly” is used to describe Paul’s preaching. In Acts 18:26 it says Paul “began to speak boldly in the synagogue. (Ephesus) In Acts 14:23 we find Paul in Iconium “speaking” boldly for the Lord.”

In I Timothy 4:12 one of the things Paul instructed Timothy to do was to set an example for believers by his speech. We can remember talking to our children many times about how they spoke to people and urged them to think about what they would say and how they would say it before they opened up their mouth. The arguments they had with each other as children could easily have been avoided if they had not egged each other on and had stopped to think before they talked. We tried to impress on them the truth of Proverbs 15:1 that reads, “A gentle answer turns away wrath.”

God wants us to speak His Word, speak kindly and speak boldly about our faith. God will give us His direction when we put our trust in Him and He will direct our paths and our speech. Silence can be valuable so do not break it unless you can improve on it.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse this week is found in I Thessalonians 5:18.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

PRAYER:

Help me to learn when to speak and when to remain silent. May I always speak boldly when I have opportunity to share my faith about You. Help me to instill in my family the knowledge of when to speak and when to be silent.