Family Communication
Look Who’s Talking – Part 3

Scripture Reading: Matthew 12:33-37

Key Verse: Matthew 12:35

The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

Let’s spend another day on this passage of scripture in Matthew. Jesus gives us a solemn warning: “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken” (Matthew 12:36). The first lesson to burn into our memory is that there is clearly a judgment day coming. Jesus does not give us any more detail than the simple fact that we are going to be held accountable before God.

The second lesson centers on the words that come out of our mouths. Jesus calls us to communicate with care. We can rest in the fact that the Holy Spirit that lives in every believer will help with choosing their words. Having help does not mean we don’t need to put forth our best efforts. When we are in public, most of us so indeed put forth an intentional effort to speak carefully. However, in our homes we seem to lose the desire to be careful. God puts a high value on how we treat those in our homes. The Bible tells us that if we don’t take care of those in our family, we are worse than pagans (1 Timothy 5:8). One of the most critical ways we need to care for our families is to make sure we speak words of encouragement—even when we are correcting poor behavior. Our words don’t need to become mean spirited to get a point across!

Father, forgive my careless words, especially to my family. I will be careful and intentional in my communication today. In Jesus’ name, amen.