Then the woman told Elijah,
"Now I know for sure that you are a man of God,
and that the LORD truly speaks through you."
(I Kings 17:24, NLT).
We have experienced some cold winter days lately; however, yesterday we had some relief with warmer air. Whether it was because of the warm weather or not, when I stepped outside a trio of birds were calling out to each other from three different directions. Actually . . . the birds communicated to me . . . I know . . . a little hmmm . . . unusal to understand birds . . . you might say "special" (with sarcasm of course) . . . but seriously . . . I heard the promise of spring coming . . . the promise of life.
Communication is an incredible gift. Elijah used language that expressed faith which the Spirit of God empowered and revealed life. I am sure the widow never forgot what Elijah said. Those words were etched in her memory, bringing joy to her long after he left.
Through our relationship with God, we are given the ability to communicate life, which is empowered through the love of Christ. Love is heard, life is revealed. Communication without the empowerment of the love of Christ will leave words flat and empty.
How do we communicate words so people are encouraged and energized with life?
Proverbs 10:11 states:
The words of the godly lead to life; evil people cover up their harmful intentions(NLT).
The wisdom of Proverbs teaches the truth that when we choose to pattern our behavior to be Christ-like (godly) our words will lead to life. In other words, our behavior is connected to the impact of our words.
Of course it is a process, but communication begins with communicating with God, which produces peace as thoughts are fixed on Him . . . the thought process guides behavior and words:
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise(Philippians 4:6-9).
Communicate life through the love of Christ.
Refuse to worry about anything.
Pray about everything.
Tell God what you need.
Thank God for all he has done.
Experience God's peace.
Receive the peace of God that guards your heart and mind.
Live in Christ Jesus.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, and right.
Think about things that are pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise.
Impact others, communicate with words of life.
Learning with to you use words of life.
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
