A Word for Our Arbor Family
“Words! Words! Words! I’m so sick of words! I get words all day through; First from him, now from you! Is that all you blighters can do?” - Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady
This quote was stuck in my head this morning for some reason, so I’m going with it. I know it's a little different quoting a musical and I may have lost about half of the readers at this point…but if you’ve made it this far, please hear me out!
We all know this feeling when we receive an uplifting compliment or a Word from the Lord that fits so well with what we are going through in a particular season. God's Word tells us, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." (Proverbs 25:11).
On the flip side, I bet most of us are also familiar with the feeling when degrading words are spoken over us. The Bible reminds us, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." (Proverbs 18:21).
The words we speak over ourselves, our families and others, hold so much power. We want to be a people who speak life and not death. But are words enough? I can tell my family I love them till my face turns blue, but if I do not show my love through actions, my words, at some point, become meaningless.
We are in a new season with a lot of people attending church who are doing so for the first time or who have not been to church for many years. I have no doubt while at Arbor, they will receive plenty of words of hope, peace and love. But if these words are not backed by the corresponding actions, we may find them singing a similar song as Eliza Doolittle.
The challenge is to be diligent with our words AND our actions. Sounds exhausting? Well, in our own strength, IT IS! But with help from the Holy Spirit, we can rise above and not only consistently speak life but also show the love of the Father to everyone He sends our way.
This quote was stuck in my head this morning for some reason, so I’m going with it. I know it's a little different quoting a musical and I may have lost about half of the readers at this point…but if you’ve made it this far, please hear me out!
We all know this feeling when we receive an uplifting compliment or a Word from the Lord that fits so well with what we are going through in a particular season. God's Word tells us, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." (Proverbs 25:11).
On the flip side, I bet most of us are also familiar with the feeling when degrading words are spoken over us. The Bible reminds us, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." (Proverbs 18:21).
The words we speak over ourselves, our families and others, hold so much power. We want to be a people who speak life and not death. But are words enough? I can tell my family I love them till my face turns blue, but if I do not show my love through actions, my words, at some point, become meaningless.
We are in a new season with a lot of people attending church who are doing so for the first time or who have not been to church for many years. I have no doubt while at Arbor, they will receive plenty of words of hope, peace and love. But if these words are not backed by the corresponding actions, we may find them singing a similar song as Eliza Doolittle.
The challenge is to be diligent with our words AND our actions. Sounds exhausting? Well, in our own strength, IT IS! But with help from the Holy Spirit, we can rise above and not only consistently speak life but also show the love of the Father to everyone He sends our way.