GRACIOUS WORDS - PART 1
SATURDAY 11 DECEMBER 2021
Jesus spoke, taught, preached, instructed and responded with gracious words. Instead of condemning all men because of sinful nature, He did something entirely different. Through His sacrificial act of righteousness, seasoned with righteous words, justification of life to all men was made possible and available.
Reference: Luke 4:22 English Standard Version (ESV) "And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son? "'
Gracious words are words full of grace. However grace communicates in levels; so are gracious words. Here in the above Scripture, shortly after Jesus introduced His mission to those who were in the synagogue, all eyes and ears were fixed on Him as they paid attention to gracious words stemming from His inbuilt wisdom and intelligence. For this reason, they marvelled in that atmosphere because they never heard such godly expressions with undeniable effects, in the entirety of mankind that had existed throughout history.
Jesus enunciated the premier of gracious words among the human race while introducing the mystery and principles of the Kingdom life in the earth realm. In fact, His words were a paragon, full of virtuous interpretations and are being used as a model of excellent impact globally. Many a time, He instructed people with words construed in parables while carrying out His teaching ministry. Till today, His parables are nonpareil of timeless truths, still changing and transforming lives eternally.
Think about this: John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (NIV). Beloved, it is very true that the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among the mortals, yet the mortals saw and beheld glory instead of a mere man. How did men behold His glory? By paying attention to His words. Words transmit glory in degrees and dimensions, depending on the speaker and the speech, and for Jesus, His words were full of grace and truth. In other words, He emitted gracious words made of divine truths and glorious influence.
No wonder the Bible says, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16 NKJV). Now watch this: What is the main purpose of ingesting the word of Christ richly in all wisdom? It is to teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Firstly, this Scripture is informing you that the word of Christ is a wealth of manifold wisdom. Secondly, the purpose of having it richly is to teach and counsel each other or one another. Now note the pronoun "each other" or "one another". It denotes association.
Beloved, it matters your association. Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful"(KJV). You don't need to mingle with people full of dismal, abusive and negative words or the wrong thought pattern. Likewise, you don't have to sustain the companionship of doubtful people in your inner circle, let alone those who engage in unconstrained conversation such as gossips, or those who speak waywardly or give audible expression to inanities. Remember you have the right to choose your association. And the Bible says, 'Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals"' (1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV).
Therefore, let your communications reflect gracious utterances and ideas, starting with your thoughts (Philippians 4:8 KJV). As a man, Jesus couldn't and didn't learn how to talk negatively or even pronounce the empty words. Also He wasn't authorised by His nature to utter the dictates of impossibility and I'll come to this later, as you stay tuned for part 2 of this topic. Therefore be different and be mindful of your words and association. Shalom!
Scripture Reading - Ecclesiastes 10:12; Proverbs 20:15; Matthew 12:35; Colossians 4:6.
Guided Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, the Scripture reveals that as Jesus is, so am I in this world. Jesus noted that His words are Spirit and life and I acknowledge that they grant me all-round transformation and enlightenment. Through my salvation, I have risen to His level; His life and gracious communications are daily lived and expressed through me. Therefore I testify that my words are positively impactful and spiritually helpful in building up the one in need, and in bringing grace to those who listen, in Jesus' Name, Amen!
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