Words are powerful. Since a preacher uses a lot of words to encourage people, I pay special attention to Bible verses that talk about words. Here are two examples:

Two psychologists, Cliff Notarius and Howard Markman, conducted a study on newlyweds’ first decade of marriage. They found that one thing can make or break a marriage. Comparing couples that later split up with couples that ultimately stayed together, they discovered a subtle but telling difference that started at the beginning of their relationships. The difference is in how couples communicated through words. The use of putdown words negatively affected the health of marriages. Couples who later split up used putdown words twice as often as couples that ultimately stayed together. The Bible says, “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.” (Eph 4:29)  The Bible also says, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (James 3:10)  May God give us the wisdom to use our words to encourage people and to give grace to those who hear us.

言語是有力量的. 傳道人時常使用言語來鼓勵人, 所以我特別注意聖經中講述話語的經文. 以下是兩個例子: