Empty Words

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” - James 3:9b-12 NIV

“I love you”

Words... just words... Words that mean something. But if there is no meaning, no emotion, no passion, no action, no heart behind them then they are just words. Nothing more... nothing but words.

We can hear these empty words sometimes in a conversation between a teenager and a parent... especially when there has been a corrective discussion... or if the teen has been asked to do something that they don’t want to do (like go to bed at a reasonable hour, clean the room, do a chore). At that moment, an “I love you” or “I love you too.” can be empty, even cold.

And the parent can tell. They know deep down that their child loves them. But they also know if there is meaning in the words. They also know if actions are indicators of the love.

We can hear it between a husband and wife who find themselves saying “I love you” out of habit instead of with meaning. They may actually truly love one another. But at that moment, the words are empty...

And the spouse can tell. They know the other loves them. But they know if there is meaning in the words. They know if there is action behind the words.

We can hear those same kind of empty words shared in the waiting line between the customer and the order taker... “Have a great day.”

And we can hear it between friend and friend... and between boss and employee... and we even hear it in business transactions

Empty words.. empty promises... emptiness.

Empty words that fill our day... fill our life.

Even more troubling is that we can even see it in our worship.

We can sing of our praise in our songs. Sing the words loud and strong. But do we mean them when we say them/sing them/read them. Or are they just words? Just songs? Just habit? Empty?

God knows our hearts. He knows if our heart belongs to Him. He knows if we love Him. And He knows it if our words are empty... knows if it’s just a show. God knows if our words are just words.

And He knows if our actions indicate to the world around us the love that we have for Him... and the love He has for us.

Fill your words... with love.

Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem

“My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” - Psalm 71:8 NIV