To Encourage You

Luke 4:22 “And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth.”

Are you ever shocked at what comes out of people’s mouths? Perhaps it’s the nature of the time we live in that very little shocks us anymore. Still, often when we are surprised by someone’s words, it’s in a negative sense. Parents of little children can be shocked when their sweet child comes home with a curse word he or she has picked up at school. Or we are sometimes stunned by the flagrant lies that come from a politician’s mouth. Or we hear bad news about a shooting, and we are grieved by what the shooter said as he was killing people, somehow trying to justify himself by his words.

Interestingly, when Jesus spoke, people were stunned at His words, but except for the religious leaders who hated Him, never in a negative sense. They marveled at His words because the things He said were so wonderful. For example, here in Luke 4 we see that they marveled because His words were so gracious, full of good-will, blessing, and wisdom. People just weren’t used to hearing such things. They were in awe. This was the pattern of Jesus’ life right up to the point of his death on the cross. There he said things such as “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” about those who were murdering Him, spitting in His face, and mocking Him; and to a thief who had earlier mocked Him as they both hung on a cross, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Who says things like this, especially in those kinds of situations? This Jesus was different than the common man in what came from His lips.

So what kinds of words come from your and my lips? Are they so full of grace and good will that people are pleasantly surprised by them? Do they hear things that are uncommonly loving and kind? Well, this can and indeed should be the case if the Spirit of Jesus resides in our hearts and our mouths are yielded as “instruments of righteousness” to Him (Romans 6:13).

May our Savior help us to follow His example, for what a wonderful opportunity we all have to say things that are so gracious that people are wonderfully blessed by  such words.