Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

A Word in Season

Isaiah speaks of a great ministry. Say, you know, I wonder if this would be a ministry that you'd like to be involved in? Isaiah chapter 50, verse 4, says, "The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned." Let's listen to the new covenant. We ought to be swift to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19). You see, He gives us, the Scripture says here in Isaiah, the ear of the learned. The man doesn't speak until God has spoken. When he does speak, look what it says takes place: "The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary." What a great ministry to be able to hear from God, and when some brother or sister is weary in well doing and their hands are hanging down, the Scripture says we're to lift up hands that are hanging down (Heb. 12:12); we're to comfort the feeble minded (1 Thess. 5:14)! What a ministry to be able to hear from God and speak a word in season that brings life and refreshing, praise God! Instead of just goofing around over here, telling stories, laughing about this, and messing with that, we choose to use our words for life!

Now, don't mistake what I'm saying. The Scripture doesn't anywhere imply that as Christians, you know, we're to be people that don't have hearts that are filled with joy. We're a people that have joy and happiness! We're a people that should be able to laugh, the Scripture says. We're to laugh with those that are laughing and to weep with those that weep (Rom. 12:15). We're not talking about sourpuss; we're talking about sobriety. You know, they're so many Christians that look like they've been baptized in lemon juice and think it's sin to smile. We ought to be able to enjoy life and have a good time. Life is funny! I enjoy humor. The funniest thing is real-life stuff, man. Comedians today just get up and be vulgar. That's stupid! Any idiot can do something like that! To be clever, to be able to take life and apply it -- life is funny! It really is. I mean, you just watch. All you've got to do is look around the room and it'll make you laugh!

We realize that we are, however, to be messengers of this glorious gospel and to look for those among us that are hurting and to be able to bring them a word in season! How much time are you spending quiet before God so that if you only get to speak once in the whole day, it's going to bring edification and life to some brother or sister? We spend so much time speaking that we don't have time to hear. Because we don't have time to hear, we don't have anything of value to say. Isaiah makes it very clear that the only words that are worth speaking are those that you hear from God. So it's very, very important, then, where we get our words, as we listen to that still, small voice saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

Previous Devotional | Next Devotional

• Subscribe to the Daily Devotional
• Unsubscribe from the Daily Devotional