Perhaps you, too, have noticed many messages being delivered by public speakers these days that have little content worth the energy consumed to present the political position of the presenter.
In my opinion, words need to be backed by some form of positive action.
President Abraham Lincoln’s famed Gettysburg Address comes to mind as one of the greatest speeches ever presented. That speech not only had content, but it was also visionary.
Hearts and minds were drastically changed by Lincoln’s well-designed presentation.
So often, it seems words are quickly spoken and later regretted. Let’s turn to God’s Word as we dig deeply into this subject of the spoken word.
In Proverbs 25, King Solomon shares some sage advice on how we need to consider what we say and how we say it.
Let’s look at Proverbs 26:6-10 for starters: “Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among great men, it is better for him to say to you, ‘Come up here,’ than for him to humiliate you before a nobleman. What you have seen with your eyes do not bring hastily to court, for what will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame? If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man’s confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.”
If we move forward in the Book of Proverbs, we can see the humility of King Solomon.
In chapter 30:1-3 we read “The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh — an oracle: This man declared to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: ‘I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man’s understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One.’”
The chapter continues with descriptors of how little we know of our Heavenly Father and His desires for us. God’s Word can be extremely humbling if we come to Him with a pure heart.
Much of what we hear and read sadly does not come from the heart, but instead from the ideological position of the presenter.
It’s as if they were presenting their case in a court of law strictly based on their emotional inclinations.
Their desire is to persuade the judge and jury to side with their illogical treatise. Perhaps they are simply unwilling to carry on a healthy discussion on the subject in question.
The good news is there is an organization building up future Christian leaders following in the footsteps of Turning Point USA’s assassinated leader Charlie Kirk. It’s wonderful to see his widow, Erika Kirk, take up the mantle as CEO.
Thousands of young devoted Christian men and women have already started to impact our country. The Truth is being shared on campuses of higher education for God’s glory both here and abroad.
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)
For those who follow Christ as Savior and Lord, our speech and our actions must be guarded. After all, the Truth will always defeat the divisive words and actions of the Enemy.