Costly Words

Jeremiah 23, 25; John 19 

“…My heart is broken within me; all my bones tremble…because of the Lord and his holy words… ‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord, ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’ ‘Therefore,’ declares the Lord, ‘I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.’”

Jeremiah 23:9, 29, 30

It is blasphemy to misuse God’s Word by communicating our own words and then adding, “The Lord declares,” with the intent of undermining the true Word of the Lord. God’s Word convicts and calls us back to faithfulness and full surrender of our lives to him. When leaders avoid confronting sin, or they enable sin, they value a false peace that is self-serving. The fire and hammer of God’s Word must first consume and soften the hearts of God’s servants before they share it with others. When we steal words from each other, we value the approval and acceptance of other leaders more than God. We steal from each other because we are avoiding the cost of the fire and the hammer required to get our words from the Lord. 

But what will we do in the end?

“Lord Jesus, you are the Word, you are the Living Word and your Word brings life. I submit to your Word today, and commit to the cost of living under its authority, for your glory.”