The Power of a Kind Word
Developing a habit of saying kind words can have a profound impact on our lives and the lives of those around us.
Mary Wilder Tileston preaches about the power of kind words, emphasizing how they can uplift and bring joy to others, contrasting heaviness in the heart with the gladness that good words can bring. She highlights the rarity of consistently speaking kind words in a world filled with sharpness and bitterness, pointing out that with the help of grace, forming a habit of kindness is achievable and long-lasting. Tileston encourages aligning oneself with the image of Christ Jesus as a source of sweetness that naturally flows to those around us.
Text
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious.
ECCLESIASTES 10:12
Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop; but a good word maketh it glad.
PROVERBS 12:25
IT would seem as if very few of us give this power of kind words the consideration which is due to it. So great a power, such a facility in the exercise of it, such a frequency of opportunities for the application of it, and yet the world still what it is, and we still what we are! It seems incredible. Take life all through, its adversity as well as its prosperity, its sickness as well as its health, its loss of its rights as well as its enjoyment of them, and we shall find that no natural sweetness of temper, much less any acquired philosophical equanimity, is equal to the support of a uniform habit of kindness. Nevertheless, with the help of grace, the habit of saying kind words is very quickly formed, and when once formed, it is not speedily lost. Sharpness, bitterness, sarcasm, acute observation, divination of motives,--all these things disappear when a man is earnestly conforming himself to the image of Christ Jesus. The very attempt to be like our dearest Lord is already a well-spring of sweetness within us, flowing with an easy grace over all who come within our reach.
FREDERICK WM. FABER
Sermon Outline
- The Power of a Kind Word
- The Effectiveness of Kind Words
- The Habit of Kindness
- Conforming to Christ
- A Well-Spring of Sweetness
- Flowing with Ease
Key Quotes
“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop; but a good word maketh it glad.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
“The very attempt to be like our dearest Lord is already a well-spring of sweetness within us, flowing with an easy grace over all who come within our reach.” — Mary Wilder Tileston
Application Points
- Make kindness a uniform habit in your daily life to support yourself and others.
- Conform to the image of Christ Jesus to overcome obstacles to kindness.
- Develop a habit of saying kind words with the help of grace to experience its transformative power.