Your Words Become Your Harvest

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Gentlemen, every day is a battle. A battle for your faith, your family, and your purpose. The men who stand strong don't prepare when the battle arrives. They prepare before it begins. Welcome to the men's morning devotional. Let's get into God's word. It's time to man up.

Chris Alessi 0:27

Welcome to another day of the Men's Morning Devotional. I'm Chris Alesi, and I'm very glad you're here. And look, at this midway point of our week, it's probably a great time to start sending this to somebody you know. It'd be a great way to give them a boost in the middle of their week. We know men are looking for information like this. So if you found it, share it. Today we're going to look at two different verses because they belong together. At the beginning of the week, I said we were going to hit six verses over five days, which meant one of these days needed two verses, and that day is today. We're going to look at verses 14 and 18 separately. They are very powerful, but together they build a very convicting picture of a man's mouth. Here's our man up moment. Every man's mouth is sowing something. The only question is, what are you reaping from it? Here are the two verses. Verse 14 says, From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him. Now look at 18. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Verse 14 opens up with this image of a farmer. It says the fruit of his mouth. Fruit implies a process. You don't get fruit the moment you plant. It develops over time, it grows in seasons and eventually produces a harvest. I remember I was asked for our church co-op to do a gardening class. And there wasn't really much I could teach them because really all you can teach them day one is how to sow, because it takes time. Solomon says that that's actually what's happening with our mouth, and it works the same way. Our words are seeds. So we see our words go into the ground, the ground of our marriage, our kids, our friendships, our team, and they grow. The harvest comes later, but it always comes. Then verse 18 tells you what the two possible harvests look like. Rash words. They look like sword thrusts. The image is visceral and intentional. A sword thrust isn't an accident. Rash words do exactly that. They move quicker than wisdom. They land harder than you intended, and they leave wounds that don't close quickly. Every man has said something in anger, something he can't take back, and you know what Solomon is describing here. But then we have the contrast. Notice it's the same instrument, the mouth. That mouth can wound like a sword, but it can also heal like medicine. The wise man's words don't just avoid damage, they actively restore. They speak life into the discouraged, they encourage somebody, they speak truth into the confused person, they bring courage to the person who's dealing with fear. His mouth is farming healing. And that crop is growing in the people around him right now. So here's what I think you should sit with today. Your mouth has already been farming something in the people closest to you. Your parents, your wife, your kids, your team. They're carrying a harvest of your words right now. Some of it, I'm sure, is pretty good. Some of it may be producing some wounds that need healing. The man-up question isn't just what you'll say tomorrow. It's whether you're willing to look honestly at what your mouth has already produced and take responsibility for the crop. So here's your man-up challenge. Think about the three people closest to you, not just your friends or your buddies, the three most important relationships in your life. What has the fruit of your mouth produced in each of them? Be honest with yourself. Then identify at least one seed you can sow with your mouth towards those three relationships. Not some grand gesture, just a true intentional, life-giving word, and give it to them before the day is over. Let's pray. Father, let the fruit of our mouth be good. Slow our tongue when it wants to move like a sword. Give us the wisdom to speak healing into our marriage, our kids, and the people around us who need it most. Let our words farm something worth harvesting. In Jesus' name, amen.

SPEAKER_00 5:06

All right, gentlemen, you've heard God's word. Now go live it. Lead well, stand strong, honor God in everything you do. Share this devotional with another brother. Remember, every day is another opportunity. It's a man up.