Friday, July 11, 2008

Most Beautiful Words!

Welcome to Favs for Friday, July 11th. I don’t really use that word favs which I understand to be short for favorites and is in vogue at this time but it fit so I threw it in there. In a 2004 survey from Britain over 40,000 responded to this question: What is the most beautiful word in the English language? Here are the top ten results: 1)Mother 2)Passion 3)Smile 4)Love 5)Eternity 6)Fantastic 7)Destiny 8)Freedom 9)Liberty 10)Tranquility. It’s easy to see how these words would be considered so highly and who would ever argue with mom being at the very top of the list. I have no idea where dad landed on the list if he even made the list at all.

Words do have meanings and they can build up and they can tear down. The inspired wisdom collection of sayings as recorded in the Proverbs has this to say about the influence and impact of words: A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold In settings of silver. (Chapter 25, Verse 11) The words mentioned above are wonderful words and we could learn something by taking that top ten list and then doing a word picture exercise where we try to imagine an image with each of those special words. Or, we could take each word and explain what it means in terms of our life and how it applies to us. For us who are believers, each of those words should reflect a wonderful sense of blessing as we consider all that God has given to us both now and forever.

However, I did find another set of even greater top ten words on a site that tried to come up with their most popular words from a Christian viewpoint. Here are the results: 1)Accepted 2)Loved 3)Free 4)Forgiven 5)Saved 6)Victorious 7)Complete 8)Protected 9)Chosen 10)Created. There were proof verses listed with each of these words to reflect God’s great provision like that fifth word 'Saved' that has this verse to back it up: “…..who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, …” (2nd Timothy 1:9) These are powerful words and they are truly beautiful since God is the One who has given them to us! I close with something to carry us through our Saturday and to prepare us for Sunday, our Lord’s day. It’s a song about words written by Philip Bliss, published in 1874:

Wonderful Words of Life

Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty.

Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.

Christ, the blessed One, gives to all
Wonderful words of life;
Sinner, list to the loving call,
Wonderful words of life;
All so freely given,
Wooing us to heaven.

Repeat refrain.

Sweetly echo the Gospel call,
Wonderful words of life;
Offer pardon and peace to all,
Wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
Sanctify us forever.

Repeat refrain.

See you next time and may the good Lord bless and keep you and yours. Amen. ……..More later.

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