Inspire & Love: Words That Move People Forward (Day 2)

Scripture Readings

• Hebrews 10:24-251
• Corinthians 13:4-7
• Proverbs 16:24
• Colossians 3:12-14

Some words do more than make us feel better.

They make us believe we can move forward.

Think about someone who believed in you before you fully believed in yourself. Maybe it was a parent, teacher, pastor, coach, friend, or mentor.

They saw something in you and said something that awakened possibility.

That's the power of Inspire, the "I" in B.U.I.L.D.

To inspire someone isn't merely to compliment them. Inspiration helps people see what could be possible when they use what God has placed inside them.

Hebrews 10:24 encourages us to consider how we can spur one another toward love and good deeds.

Notice the intentionality: consider how.

Building people requires thought.

Instead of simply noticing someone's weakness, ask, "What strength could I help develop?"

Instead of saying, "You'll never get this right," imagine saying, "I've seen you overcome difficult things before. Keep going."

Both statements can influence a person's future—but in very different directions.

However, inspiration without love can become pressure.

That's why the next part of B.U.I.L.D. is essential: Love.

First Corinthians 13 gives us one of Scripture's clearest pictures of love. Love is patient. Love is kind. It isn't self-seeking, easily angered, or delighted by wrongdoing.

Now imagine applying those characteristics specifically to your speech.

Patient words.

Kind words.

Words that aren't motivated by ego.

Words that don't explode in anger.

That doesn't mean love refuses to confront difficult things. Sometimes the most loving words we can speak are truthful words someone doesn't necessarily want to hear.

But our motivation matters.

Am I speaking because I want this person to grow—or because I want to prove that I'm right?

Am I correcting them to restore them—or embarrass them?

Am I speaking from love—or frustration?

Proverbs 16:24 describes gracious words as sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. There is something powerful about truth delivered through grace.

Jesus modeled this perfectly.

He could confront sin without abandoning the sinner. He could challenge people while still communicating their value. His words called people higher without convincing them they were beyond hope.

Our words should do the same.

The people closest to us often receive the least-filtered version of our speech. We may carefully choose our words at work or church, then speak carelessly to our spouses, children, relatives, or closest friends.

B.U.I.L.D. challenges us to reverse that pattern.

The people we love most should experience some of our most life-giving words.

Today, pay attention not only to what you say, but also why you are saying it.

Let your words inspire people toward who God created them to become.

And let love determine how those words are delivered.

Today's B.U.I.L.D. Challenge

Identify one person whose potential you see but may not have expressed.

Tell them.

Be specific about the gift, character quality, or potential you recognize.

Then ask yourself:

Do the people I love know it by the way I speak to them?