Make Love With Your Words

SCRIPTURE

Song of Solomon 4:1-8 (NRSV)

The bride's beauty extolled

How beautiful you are, my love,
how very beautiful!
Your eyes are doves
behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
moving down the slopes of Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes
that have come up from the washing,
all of which bear twins,
and not one among them is bereaved.
Your lips are like a crimson thread,
and your mouth is lovely.
Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
behind your veil.
Your neck is like the tower of David,
built in courses;
on it hang a thousand bucklers,
all of them shields of warriors.
Your two breasts are like two fawns,
twins of a gazelle,
that feed among the lilies.
Until the day breathes
and the shadows flee,
I will hasten to the mountain of myrrh
and the hill of frankincense.
You are altogether beautiful, my love;
there is no flaw in you.
Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Depart from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.

DEVOTION

Woo—Wee! Now this is how a husband ought to talk to his wife!

I think we can learn so much from the Song of Solomon. Today’s passage makes it clear that it is very important to shower your spouse with loving words that speak to their heart.

It is a sad fact that most of us are in survival mode when it comes to our marriages. We spend all of our time talking about what is wrong—paying the bills, raising the kids, and picking the towels off of the floor are favorite subjects in most houses!

But, if we were to take inventory of our daily conversation with our spouses, how much of it is negative and how much of it is positive?

I have heard it said that if you want to critique a person, you should make a “criticism sandwich.” This means that you say one positive thing. Then you say one negative thing. Then you say another positive thing.

I have found that the “sandwich” approach is very helpful and does much to build up the self-esteem of those we love.

Whether or not we are married, today’s scripture reading applies to us! We have all received a call from God to guard our tongues and season our conversation with the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, we should use our words to build people up and not to tear them down. It is so easy to tell someone how they should improve themselves; but let us be careful! When we point a finger of condemnation at others, we also point it at ourselves.

Today, I want to challenge all of us to try to go an entire day without criticizing someone that we love. Instead, let us be like Solomon, and make it our goal to use our words to build up their self esteem. Try to make a special effort to extol their physical, mental, and spiritual attributes!

As we make love to them with our words, I believe that we will find that our loved ones will make an extra special effort, of their own volition, to undergo some self-improvement of their own.

Please pray with me:

Gracious God, the Bible says that if I could control my tongue, I could be perfect in all things. I confess that I have not controlled my tongue. I confess that I have used it to hurt and lash those whom I love. Please forgive me of my sin and fill me up with your Holy Spirit so that my words will be full of your love, joy, and peace. Most of all please help me to use my tongue to proclaim the good news that Jesus saves and He saves to the utmost! I love you and I want to share our love with others. Please help me to do so! I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

THE INVITATION

If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html