Aptly spoken

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

APTLY SPOKEN

Prov 25:11

11 A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

NIV

What a wonderful picture of a bunch of great looking delicious apples placed perfectly upon a platter of silver ready for someone to pick one up and taste it. This is how perfect a word spoken at the right time and to the right point. We cannot force this right word or words. We cannot manipulate the conversation to get these words spoken. This has to be speaking about the moment in time when we are able to speak the truth of the gospel into someone’s life. Although all conversation about all subject matter could also be applied to this saying. But then what matters, what is aptly spoken, has to be about the gospel. Some would say that Solomon had no knowledge of the gospel and thus his saying speak only to the earthly or human condition and words of worldly concern. However, every word of scripture is God-breathed. Solomon was indeed the wisest man to every live, but it was not his wisdom, as God bestowed his wisdom upon him. Before the foundation of world God had already determined that we all would be justified through faith in Jesus Christ through his work on the cross.

Eph 1:3-10

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment — to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

NIV

This has been his plan from before he created this world and all that is in it. So then as he inspired Solomon to write words, aptly words spoken like apples on a silver platter, he wrote words that spoke of the gospel message, he spoke words about the grace of God through Jesus Christ. These are the words we should be speaking as well, but at the appropriate time in the right way so they flow from our lips like honey from the honey comb, so they appear as juicy apples served up on silver. The Spirit will make that happen every time. It is not a force labor, but a flowing, an overflowing of springs of living water coming from within us.

John 7:38-39

38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."  39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

NIV

Everything we say as inspired by the Spirit are these aptly spoken words. Let us walk in step with the Spirit, let us live in the Spirit as we lives in us. Let us allow him to produce his fruit, his gifts in and through us for the benefit of those who someday will believe because of an aptly spoken word.