Boiling sugar is really REALLY HOT! Recently while making apple jelly, my hand and face found out the hard way just how hot it is! I was ladling the hot mixture into jars as the last step before boiling to seal the lids. I’m not sure what happened but all of the sudden the measuring cup is dropping into the pot which hits the wooden spoon which in turn slings the boiling hot mixture onto my face…my extended fingers never got out of the pot. IT HURT! I promptly washed off the goo and put my hand in flour. Not enough. Put my hand in ice cold water. Not enough. IT HURT! Called the hubs to come take a look and make sure it wasn’t an emergency room visit…it wasn’t. But…IT HURT! Blisters formed very quickly and my hand stayed in ice cold water for several hours. My fingers are now nicely medicated and wrapped so all will be well in a bit of time. Luckily my face didn’t blister and silvadene was applied so that took care of that.
But it got me thinking…How often is “boiling sugar” used to damage others? How often do words “get slung” around that “burn” and cause “blisters”? God speaks liberally throughout the Bible on how our words SHOULD and SHOULD NOT be used.
Our words SHOULD NOT…
- Tear others down. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only that which is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
- Be rash. Proverbs 12:18 “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
- Be harsh. Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turn away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
- Be deceitful. Proverbs 15:4 “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
- Be insulting. 1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing…”
- Be evil. 1 Peter 3:10 “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil…”
- Lie. Proverbs 19:5 “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free”
- Cause Dissension. Proverbs 6:16-19 “…six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:…a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.”
Our words SHOULD BE…
- Guarded. Proverbs 21:23 “He who guards his a mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
- Kind. Proverbs 11:17 “Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.”
- Beneficial to others. Eph. 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
- Full of wisdom. Proverbs 18:4 “A person’s words can be life giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.”
- Full of grace. Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
- Pleasing to God. Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight.”
- Thankful Psalms 30:12 “May I not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”
- BOLD. Hebrews 13:6 “…we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Nothing we say goes unnoticed by God. We will be judged as much for our words as by our actions. Matthew 12:36-37 could be one of the scariest verses in the Bible we pay too little attention to. “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
One question we may want to ask ourselves is this; “Would I say these same things if Christ were a part of the conversation?” (don’t forget…He IS!)
We often think our conversations are “private” or “just between us”. That is a lie. Those thoughts come from the evil one. Satan uses our own words to trap us in the ugly snare of hypocrisy. Encouraging us to present ourselves one way to the world and another way in private is a tool Satan loves. Luke 12:1-3 “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made public. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”
When “boiling sugar ” is slung, when our words cause burns and blisters, Satan has won the battle. We must not let him win the war.
One last thought…Words can do so much good. They build up, teach, correct, encourage, praise, calm….Listen to those words. Listen to those who love you, who want the best for you, who love you with the love of our Lord. But when negativity starts…remember the words of Solomon in Proverbs 26:20 “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.” Unless the conversation is beneficial and builds up…put the fire out…Burns and blisters are not a part of God’s plan for His family.
Listen to His Voice,
Lee Ann
