Church Directory
“How Clear is My Trumpet Call...
Or is it Muffled?”
Pastor Barry Klein, Staples Church of Christ
Communication. What comes to your mind when you think about that word? Think about communication in your relationships: with friends, spouse, children, co-workers and church family. Think about how those relationships have ebbed and flowed, for better or for worse, in how entrusted communication has been handled.
At best, communication that’s been handled and shared well, has brought life to people and those relationships. At worse, communication that’s been handled poorly, has brought damage to people and those relationships.
Life giving communication requires intentionally and “other-oriented” care and even preparation. Destructive “communication” often brings lasting devastation.
We often would do well to revisit James 3:2-12 about the power of the tongue for either good or evil.
Words count. Every word counts. We’re the better when, before we speak a word, we remember that words, as with all areas of life, are gifts from God, Who, in Jesus, IS the WORD (John 1:1). I need to remember that far more than I have.
God’s words and ways often get disparaged and/or dismissed. That isn’t surprising when God, Who’s the Wisest of all and is over His creation, reminds us in Isaiah 55:8 that “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways.”
In his song “Ancient Words,” Michael W. Smith remedies that, if we will listen, when in his lyrics he pens, “Ancient words, ever true; changing me and changing you.”
So, we conclude with the imagery of our devotion title when we hear the apostle Paul share in I Corinthians 14:7-8, “Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there’s a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet doesn’t sound a clear call, who will get ready for the battle?”
Asking both you and me, how clear and distinct is the music of our conversations? Is what I say to another person an invitation to God’s life and God’s ways? Or, am I speaking aimlessly and in an unthought out moment, causing rambling, muffled confusion rather than helpful nourishment? Let’s care about words in both mind and mouth in every conversation.
