Recently, I was told a story about something that happened with my first-grade son, Isaac, at school.
Isaac saw a brother and sister, both at least five grades above him, bantering back and forth. At one point, the brother threw a shoe at his sister. In retaliation, the sister threw the shoe into the trash.
That is when Isaac stepped in. He scolded the older sister, telling her she should know better and that it wasn’t very nice. He started to walk away, but stopped, turned around, and added that he was younger than her, so she should be more mature than that!
When we later shared this story with his sister, Hannah, she asked him where he came up with all of that. Isaac looked at her and said, “If you’re going to be a man of God, you gotta know these things.”
While it is a humorous story, Isaac stumbled onto a profound truth.
John the Baptist and Jesus Christ both burst onto the scene preaching repentance. The book of Acts starts with repentance. Yet, at other times, Jesus spoke words of deep comfort and encouragement.
The key is knowing not just what to say, but when to say it.
Offering a harsh message of repentance to a broken, hurting heart can be just as damaging as offering casual encouragement to someone who actively needs to repent. We must have the discernment to speak the right word for the right moment.
As we read in scripture: “He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-12 WEB)
We must make sure that whatever we speak aligns with what God has given us for the building up and perfecting of the saints. When we tune our ears to His timing, our words carry His power.
Proverbs 25:11 (ISV) “Like golden apples set in silver is a word spoken at the right time.”
Leave a Reply