Strength, encouragement and comfort

1 Corinthians 14:1-3 (The Message) Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you. Most of all, try to proclaim his truth. If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him. But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you're letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.

The NIV says: But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.

The prayer training day emphasised that, in praying for others, we should say only what is strengthening, encouraging or comforting. Why keep that idea just for prayers? I'm thinking especially of today, as we start out inspection week at school. We ALL need strengthening, encouraging and comforting (though not, I hope, too much of the latter!)

If every word that came out of my mouth had the effect of strengthening, encouraging or comforting my hearers, I'd be a very happy bunny indeed!