4-28-2025

Good Morning All,

          Proverbs 25:11; “A word rightly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.    The right word at the right time; that is a gift truly worth its weight in gold.  Think of those times when the right word or even the wrong word comes out.  I remember when I was on the school board that the superintendent used to go on and on about how important it was for the bus drivers to be cheerful in the morning.  If the first voice a child hears in the morning is a cheerful bus driver, the student is more likely to have a positive day than if he faces a grumpy one.  That was his theory.  Granted, it doesn’t always work out but there are times when it does as well.

    Think about your own life.  Who would you rather face, a cheerful waiter/waitress or a grumpy one?  Who would you rather deal with, a cheerful checkout person or an angry one?  How about when you meet the receptionist at the doctor’s office?  A friendly face helps out a lot, doesn’t it?  This is true; some call it good business or proper etiquette but for a Christian it can, and should, go much farther.  It provides us with a golden opportunity to witness to our faith.

    The right word at the right time; that is a gift truly worth its weight in gold.  For us, this occurs for us and to us before anything else.  “At just the right time God sent Jesus to reconcile the world back to himself.”  As Jesus hung on the cross, he exclaimed, “It is finished!”  Just the right word at just the right time; this is a truly wonderful gift!  We hear God’s words of forgiveness at just the right time.  You may wonder when the right time is, and it is when we need it the most.  After the devil beats us up with his attacks God reminds us that we are his children and that he loves us, and he tells us that at just the right time.

     Now, he wants us to offer the right word at the right time.  God calls us to go to our neighbor and to offer the right word.  He calls us to offer the same words to them that he offers to us.  First it is important to forgive.  We need to forgive all the failures, both big and small, all the offenses, all the faults, real or imagined; that our neighbor has caused us.  We do this for two reasons.  First, because God calls us to reconcile with our neighbor, we need to reach out to them.  We cannot do this if we continue to hold onto the anger and the hurt.  This not only harms our neighbor, but it also harms us.  This is the second reason to forgive; it helps to heal you.  The right word at the right time; that is a gift truly worth its weight in gold. 

    That word may also be a word of compassion to a grieving friend, a hurt neighbor, a suffering brother, or sister.  Sometimes this word is the hardest to say; what should I say?  The truly amazing thing is that God often gives us the right word to say and sometimes that word is said with a hug or a shared tear.  The right word at the right time; that is a gift truly worth its weight in gold.

Dearest Father, your Word is spoken to us at just the right time, and you bring us to a new life in Christ and save us from death.  Help us to proclaim that same word to all those around us.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret