This week Pastor Ruttan focused on the power of words for good OR evil based on James 3:1-12 in Part 5 of the “Down-to-Earth” series based on a line by line look at the Book of James.

After the related Kid’s Time video about how strong our tongues (words) can be – Pastor Ruttan expanded on that during his sermon.  How our words can encourage or hurt long term as opposed to physical injuries that generally fade away over time.  As shown in the Kid’s video – toothpaste cannot be put back into the tube – and neither can our words.  James gives us four insights into the power of our words to bring hurt, healing or hope;

1. The tongue is the biggest muscle in your body
2. What James says about spoken words applies to written words
3. Know specifically how to use—and not use—words
4. Work on your heart

We are children of God.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, commented on this when he said: “The child learns to speak because his father speaks to him. He learns the speech of his father.”*  The message encourages us to speak as we have learned.

*Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1970), 11.

Matthew Ruttan

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