We live in a world of words. What we call “a cold war” is principally a war of words. There are famous words about conquering more by the pen than by the sword. Words can wreck, words can revive, words can ruin, and words can restore.
The right word at the right time can be very valuable. The wrong word at the wrong time can be very costly. The Bible says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures [baskets] of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). A golden apple is of course a thing of great value. So are words fitly spoken. What words do we need?
1. Words of encouragement are like apples of gold. Discouragement is a sin. Men and women are fighting big battles, and they do not need weights put on them by discouragement. They need wings that they may rise and fly as they grapple with the tasks that daily confront them. Bobby Burns, in the heyday of his great power as a writer, saw a little boy following him around in a certain community. He turned to the boy and asked, “Walter, what do you wish?” The boy responded, “Oh, I wish that someday I might be a great writer like you and have people talking about me like they talk about you.” Burns reached out and placed his hand on the boy's head and assured him, “You can be a great writer someday, Walter, and you will be.” That little boy was Sir Walter Scott, and to the day of Sir Walter’s death, he could never speak of Bobbie Burns except with a sob of gratitude. Burns spoke the right word in season to the weary heart of a little boy.
2. Words of comfort are like apples of gold. Sorrow is all about us. Sickness, death, and separation are ever present. People need words of comfort often. I am often asked, “What do you say to people in times of sorrow?” Usually very little. Your presence speaks of sympathy, and love, and concern.
3. Words of witness are like apples of gold. The most valuable words you can speak are words of testimony about what God has done for you. This is the task and privilege of every Christian. Charles Peace said, “If I believed [the Gospel], I would crawl across England on broken glass on my hands and knees to tell men it was true!” Your words can be valuable. Use them wisely.