"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken" (Matthew 12:36).

We had a humorous experience many years ago when we pastored in New England. One Sunday morning our choir was rehearsing for a song with one of the members using a cordless microphone.  Suddenly we heard a very uplifting voice loudly through the sound system, "Now you have a good day." 

In a few minutes Gene Wilmoth, who has since gone on to be with the Lord, arrived. He was one of our older members and a vibrant greeter. Upon inquiry he turned out to be the "culprit".  He had been on his CB, which apparently had the same frequency as the cordless microphone.  Gene actually used the CB to share his faith and had a circle of like-minded friends who sought to share Christ over the CB. He used the verbal word to uplift and bear testimony for Christ.

Consider our daily verse.  Jesus points out that every word we say comes under the scrutiny of divine judgment. We will all give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word we have spoken.  Talk about massive data banks!  Over 6 billion people live on the planet at the present time, let alone all who have lived throughout history.  Now someone has determined that men speak 7,000 words a day and women 20,000, although I have no idea how that come up with figures like this!  Assuming it's true across all languages that's some 84 trillion words spoken daily.

Consider just the careless words (the Greek conveys "useless") coming out of a typical individual.  What about the words coming out of Washington or Hollywood alone!!! 

Today let's determine by God's grace to use our words to glorify God and build others up.  The Apostle Paul wrote, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29).


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Personal note: Brooksyne is in Oklahoma today to attend the funeral for her older sister who passed away last Thursday evening. She wants to thank all of you who sent notes of condolence.

Some readers may recall a song from many years ago called, "I'm an Okie from Muskogee" and that's just where she is today for the funeral, although she grew up in the Tulsa area. Yesterday she and her younger brother visited relatives in the mountains of northwest Arkansas.  She will be returning from Oklahoma early tomorrow morning. 

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We sang a song in church yesterday that really blessed me. Here's an online version, "We All Bow Down"

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* Some readers might not know what a CB is. It's similar to a walkie talkie. My father-in-law, who is now with the Lord, drove an 18-wheeler and with his southern drawl was the quintessential CB'er. This morning I spoke to my chaplain friend at Transport for Christ and he tells me that truckers still use them although most also have cell phones and many have satellite for internet access. Many also have the XM satellite radio.