Mensa Otabil - Pleasant Words (10/22/2025)
We’ve been learning practical knowledge from the Book of Proverbs, focusing on the words we speak, how we speak them, and the nature of the character within us. So we go back to the Book of Proverbs, chapter 16, verse 24: «Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.» What we say matters. Having something to say is great, but knowing how to say it is better.
You know, many times, the big challenge for all of us is when we feel we know the truth, and the truth is on our side. While communicating truth, we can sometimes be very careless. I started my Christian ministry as an itinerant preacher. I went around preaching; I preached in neighborhoods, in villages, and everywhere. In those days, I used to be very strong in what I preached because, of course, I knew the truth of God’s word. I knew the truth about salvation, that Jesus is the Savior, and that some actions were sinful. Unless people repented, they would perish. These are all truths, but the way you carry them can either be sweetness or bitterness. In my early days, I used to throw words around and be very careless about how I spoke to people.
Over time, I learned that having the truth does not exempt you from being courteous, kind, and generous to people, as well as understanding human nature and communicating well. That’s what the Book of Proverbs teaches us: knowing the truth is great, but how do you communicate it? How do you convey it? Sometimes, even in marriages, one person says, «What I say is the truth,» while the other person says, «What I say is the truth.» Yet, the words they’re throwing at each other are not sweet; they are bitter.
The Bible states that pleasant words are like a honeycomb. Honeycomb is the sweetest part of honey. In other words, no matter how truthful our awareness is, we can find ways of speaking them pleasantly and in such a way that instead of repelling people, turning them away, or making them feel hopeless and useless, we can use the truth we know to speak pleasantly and encourage people to desire change and transformation in their lives. That’s what this proverb says: when we speak pleasant words, it is sweetness to the soul. It gets into people, convicts them, and helps them make adjustments in their lives.
When you look at the ministry of Jesus Christ, he encountered some of the most deprived and depraved people on earth. Some of the individuals he met were truly bad people, like Zacchaeus, tax collectors, and prostitutes. But his words did not stab at them; his words were pleasant to the soul. These people, whom society thought were the most rotten, found their way to Christ because he learned to speak the truth in a way that touches the soul and allows people to truly want and desire to live a good life for the Lord.
That’s what God is recommending for us: don’t just hide behind «what I’m saying is the truth.» Is it pleasant? Is it sweet to the soul? Is it a blessing to somebody else? Are you speaking to repel people, or are you speaking to draw people to God? When we speak pleasant words, as the passage says, it becomes health to our bones. This simply means it brings wholeness to us. Pleasant words will make you feel whole. You won’t feel rotten; you’ll feel that God can make you new, and you can have a new life in Christ. That is the Christian message and what God has called us to.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, I receive wisdom to choose my words carefully. Let my words minister life to its hearers. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.