Golden, Medicinal Words

Coach Jon Ginn is the worship leader at Hope Church in Tupelo MS and he is also the lead worshipper. I am blessed every week by his worship and by his life and that of his sweet family. When I received this weekly "letter to the choir", I immediately asked to use it for Friday night with Friends. (He had written about words the week before. Rather than change his article, I've reprinted it just as it came to me.) I think you'll be blessed. This is Jon's first blog post, so be sure to give him lots of encouragement and love, because I hope it won't be his last.
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A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

 I know, I know, we just talked about the power of words last week, but I don't think we can be reminded of this fact enough. Being in Proverbs 25 today (today being the 25th) once again this principle stood out. Let me give you a quick word picture from my study Bible.

The apples refer to a decorative motif in jewelry, similar to the more familiar "pomegranate" pattern. (Ex. 39:24-25, 1 Kings 7:18) The image represents godly speech (a word fitly spoken or suited for the occasion). A wise reprover to a listening ear (Prov. 9:8b-9) is like gold jewelry; that is, stunningly beautiful and valuable (possibly because of its rarity).

When someone says the right thing at exactly the right time, it is a thing of beauty. Just like seeing a rare jewel or work of art gives us deep appreciation for God's creation and craftsmanship of man, a word spoken in this manner feeds our soul with godly instruction and hope.

Our words become medicinal when spoken through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the words we ought to say at the time we should say them (if we are in tune with Him - Matthew 10:20). Yes, some medicine is bitter when first tasted; this is true. However, the end result of healing and that is a beautiful thing.

May your words be beauty to those to whom you speak this week. 

#applesofgold #words