December 12 - Every Man Ministries

Famous Last Words

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. ––Psalm 19:14

Consider the fact that the average person speaks about 16,000 words a day. If you spread that out over 75 years (the average lifespan of an American male), you get about 438,000,000 words spoken. Even accounting for the fact that most of us don’t say much for the first two or three years of life, it’s still a big number. And even if you are on the quiet side and speak only half that, it’s still more than 200 million words. Add to that the fact that the average person has about 30,000 words in their vocabulary, and it’s a big, complex equation. A constellation of words and possibilities.

What is the most important thing you’ve ever said? If you are a follower of Jesus, I’d submit that the most important words you’ve ever spoken are when you accepted Christ as your Savior. After that, if you are married, “I do” is definitely in the top five phrases.

Words matter. The way we use them—and don’t use them—matters. Proverbs tells us that “the words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing” (Proverbs 12:18), and “the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21).

The fact that none of us knows the time nor hour of our death makes the words we choose each day that much more important. What do you want your last words to be? I hope mine are words of love toward God and my family. Jesus’ last words before He ascended to Heaven were powerful:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. ––Acts 1:8

Jesus’ final words on Earth point to our call to be witnesses of His love and that—thankfully—we do not need to pursue this Great Commission on our own. We have the Holy Spirit, and through Him, we are given the power of the Kingdom of God. Powerful final words regarding the power of His Word.

Father, help me choose my words carefully today, saying only what Your Holy Spirit leads me to say.

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https://wordraiders.com/guides/how-many-words-does-the-average-person-say-a-day/#:~:text=The%20average%20person%20speaks%20around,1%20hour%20and%2054%20minutes.