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Seeing as I am participating in the Hello Mornings study of the Book of Ruth, I thought I would devote a post a week to share from the study. In reading this morning, two small phrases stood out to me….

  • “Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again.” (Ruth 1:6, NLT).
  • “But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, :Go back to your mothers’ homes.”  (Ruth 1:8, NLT)

Here we see that both the words we hear and the words we speak have an impact both on ourselves and others. Naomi heard what the Lord was doing in Judah. Those words moved her to respond with action. The words we listen to and absorb into our beings will have an affect on us. They can motivate us to life changing decisions which may be the right or wrong. The people we listen to and the words they speak to us can stay with us for a long time. Lately I have come to realize not everyone should have the privilege of speaking into my life.

I must be wise and guard my heart. I must be wise in those things I permit access to my heart. The words we hear impact our behavior, our thoughts, our decisions. How careful we need to be as to the words we permit to root in our lives.

We also see that Naomi spoke words of love, affirmation and encouragement to her daughters-in-law. Seeing their reactions to her words (they all broke down and wept), I don’t think this is the first time that Naomi spoke in this manner to them. She must have been a mother-in-law whose words drew those two younger women to love her. I want to be a mother-in-law of this sort each and every day. Naomi spoke words which blessed both women.

Naomi had to be a woman who was encouraging and affirming to many. We are told later in that same chapter that upon her arrival in Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by her return (verse 19). Would other people be happy to see us, knowing they could expect a kind and cheerful and uplifting conversation with us? It is truly something to think on today.

The words we hear will impact us.

The words we speak will impact others.

The Bible has a lot to say about our mouths, our lips, our tongues, for our speech betrays us. What is down in the well will come up in the bucket. – Vance Havner

Words will impact us today.

Both words heard and spoken.

I am joining …. Playdates With God and Testimony Tues. and Soli Deo Gloria and Unite and Titus 2 Tues. and Teaching What It Good and Titus 2sday and Tell Me A Story .