GRACIOUS WORDS - PART 3

TUESDAY 14 DECEMBER 2021

The Holy Spirit is the architect or brain behind gracious utterances. In His day, Jesus humbly submitted to His leading, which is the reason He ministered wisely, and performed many wonders through spoken words. When Jesus was tested, the Bible noted that He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, meaning that He wasn't led by Himself, even though He is God (see Matthew 4:1 NIV). And He overcame the enemy by words inspired by the Spirit. That means, the Holy Spirit plays an important role in our lives, especially in the manner we conduct our speeches.

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?"'

Although they spoke well of Him and marvelled, I could tell that they were not familiar with the wisdom which He spoke because Jesus often communicated with deep spiritual truths which only those who have been spiritually trained and groomed by the Holy Spirit were capable of understanding. This is where the importance of the right association comes in.

The Bible says, "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature... (1 Corinthians 2:6). The Scripture was mindful to define the association (among those who are mature). It's talking about the like-minded fellows, having similar understanding or opinions about spiritual realities. The Bible says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17 NIV). We sharpen each other with what? With gracious communications, not with iron (metallic element). Even in your endeavours, you don't always need to entertain people full of negative and demoralising words around you.

Who are those around you when things look indistinct, or when you're uncertain about something? When things get a little unclear or even complicated and cumbersome, apart from the Holy Spirit, you need the right people who will help you to keep on your path and be able to navigate those times. However, it starts with their words. In other words, what they say and what you hear at such moment are very important. Proverbs 18:4 says, "The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream" (NIV).

To instantiate this, the Bible mentioned that Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Then Peter said to them, "I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing" (John 21:2-3 NIV). In other words, the plan did not work. Now here is a brief description of those in Simon Peter's company: The first person was Thomas (also known as Didymus). His Nickname was doubting Thomas. Considering his personality, Thomas must have been sceptical with his words about the possibility of catching fish in the river, even before they arrived.

The second person was Nathanael. Firstly, before Jesus called Nathanael to follow Him, his response about Jesus of Nazareth was quite negative. When Philip told Nathaniel about Jesus, Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Then Philip said to him, "Come and see for yourself" (John 1:46 ESV). No wonder nothing good came out of the river, when they went out to fish. That night they caught nothing. I'm not saying with all assurance that they were full of unbelief, but considering their personalities in regard to the outcome of their endeavour, anyone could conclude that they couldn't inspire or motivate Simon Peter to do better. This means that the purpose of their outing was defeated.

Interestingly, everything changed when Jesus surfaced. Why? His words were gracious and positive. Firstly, He addressed them with high regard; secondly, He spoke with assurance (see John 21:4-6 NIV). And the effect was mind-blowing because it ended with a great catch. Beloved, losing sight of your purpose or why you do what you do is easy, when you have the wrong circle because they may never inspire you with the right and gracious words to remain focused, go for it and obtain the desired result. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 10:11; Proverbs 12:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Proverbs 15:26; Proverbs 18:20.

Guided Prayer: Father in heaven, I thank you for the revelation of gracious words, which are a remarkable and perfect gift from you. Through this revelation, I communicate the mysteries of my faith and personal knowledge of Christ to people in my world and I provide many with enduring words of encouragement and inspiration, amid any circumstance and reality. I'm well-instructed in the doctrine of righteousness and I'm grateful for the knowledge and experience which wield enormous influence within my sphere of active responsibility in Jesus' Name, Amen!