City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

13  “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. 14  “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. 15  He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor. 16  “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. 17  Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that his rider falls backward. 18  I wait for your salvation, O Lord. 19  “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. 20  “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies. 21  “Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears beautiful fawns. 22  “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. 23  The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, 24  yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), 25  by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26  The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers. 27  “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoil.”

Genesis 49:13-27

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:36-37

Reflection

This is an important passage of Scripture because in it Jacob prophesies over his sons. It is personal and powerful. As I read it, I immediately thought back to a Netflix series I watched Saturday night.  

The series was about the University of Florida Football team that won two national championships in four years. The series included an interview with Tim Tebow.

Tebow is a Heisman trophy winner and is the real deal when it comes to being a Jesus follower. At the University of Florida, Tebow is a legend, and even though he was only in the NFL a few years, his ubiquitousness as a football commentator and motivational speaker is indicative of  the tremendous amount of influence he still has.

So, in the Netflix episode I watched, Tebow was talking about how his parents repeatedly told him as a child that he was destined to do great things. He said, “You know what? If you hear that enough, you start to believe it.”

The heart of a child is like wet cement. Words directed toward them land and harden and become part of who they are. Adults though are also subject to the power of words, even if not to the same degree as children.

The Bible says “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21. The words we speak are so important. Jesus specifically addressed this by saying: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (see Matthew 12:36-37)  

Application

In your mouth is the power to speak life or death to people; to have a profound impact as an instrument of the Almighty or a devastating effect as the tool of the Enemy. You have the power to encourage and empower or to disparage and discourage. Use the power of your tongue today to help make someone great.

Prayer

Lord, please show me opportunities to be an instrument of Yours in speaking life to others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.