“…a word spoken in due season, how good it is!… A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver” (Proverbs 15:23; 25:11).
It occurred on a scorching hot July afternoon over three decades ago, but I still remember it vividly. I was working for a mowing company and had just finished a patch of scruffy, brown grass which was being used as a parking lot for boat trailers of various sizes. For about thirty minutes the mower had spit out equal amounts of grass, dust, and small stones. Now, I was finally finished. As I drove the mower to the trailer to park it, a teenage Christian met me with a glass of iced lemonade. She had seen me mowing and came bearing this simple of gift of thoughtfulness and kindness. Her gift did far more than quench my thirst; it refreshed my soul.
You and I have the ability to refresh another’s soul by the wise use of the right words at the right time. Like Jesus, when He said, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?…Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:10-11); or when He said, “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial” (John 12:7).
A righteous and wise tongue is good—very good.
A righteous and wise tongue is priceless—like apples of gold in settings of silver.
