Jul 7 – 2 Kings 14:23-29, 2 Kings 15 Acts 25:23-27, Acts 26:1-23 Proverbs 16:18-27
Acts 26:22-23
To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass:
that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
People tried to call Paul a heretic. But he’s very clear – nothing that he says goes against what the prophets and Moses had already said.
The whole Old Testament, He is saying, is all about Jesus. It describes how the Messiah must suffer, die and be raised. Nothing he was preaching was anything new, but explaining everything that was fulfilled in Jesus.
We too, don’t preach anything new. We may be able to wrap it up in a different package, but the message must remain constant. It’s when we start changing the message that we get into trouble.
Prov 16:24
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
Gracious words are a wonderful thing. Sweetness to the soul – that means they make the soul feel good, just as sweet food makes the body feel good. Gracious words also bring health to the body – the positivity that they bring can have a positive effect of our health!
If this is true, then so is the reverse. Ungracious words are like bitterness and bad for people.
I wonder, what type of effect your words have? When was the last time you offered gracious, encouraging words to someone? What we say to people and how we say it matters.
We are children of God. We should be bringing life and sweetness to the world. And our words need to reflect that. Bring sweetness to people, not bitterness.
