Today is a good day! God loves me, and he has me in his hands and his plans. The same goes for you, my friend! I'm listening for a word from God, continuing to take in this inspired letter of James. Why don't you join me in being still a moment, asking God to speak, and reading James 3:1-12. This is worth a second time through! Truer words have never been written!
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (v. 6)
Thank you for this convicting reminder, God. I keep a careful watch on what I say, but I'm sure that my mouth has gotten me in more trouble in my life than anything else. I can't think of anything that causes more pain in the flow of everyday life than the things people say. And it starts so young! Long before a person ever gets old enough to beat someone up or rob them or cheat them or murder them, they will already have sliced and diced the feelings of countless people. The old adage about "sticks and stones may break my bones..." is such a fantasy. Words do far more damage than any other weapon humans have ever created.
I want to use mine well today, Lord. And every day. Forgive me for all the wicked words, or even misguided words, that I've ever spoken. I am so thankful for your grace! I'm also thankful that I have your help and strength to rely on to help me keep my tongue under tight reigns. I know that alone I can never tame my tongue. So I will consciously turn it over to your Holy Spirit's control each day. "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord. Keep watch over the doors of my lips." (Psalm 141:3) You guide my words. I will say what you want me to say. And clean out my heart, because I know that all my bitter words spring from there. Thank you for giving me a chance to use my words to build someone up instead of tearing them down. In Jesus name, Amen.
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I never realized what my words were putting into motion until I had to read a book in Bible college called The Tongue, A Creative Force by Charles Capp. Our words are so powerful. They can be life or death to someone's soul and damage relationships but also lift up, encourage, love and heal. It is so refreshing to know that you can speak positive, encouraging words and help someone.
ReplyDeleteLord please help me use caution when speaking the truth in love. Help my words not be harsh, but be loving and caring. I give You all the glory and honor, as I am nothing without You.
I remember Chris saying about leaving a legacy to his kids which I think is very important. I've always know how important the actions we show kids and words too because I could still remember things that people told me when I was a kid, may it be good or bad. But it shouldn't only apply to kids but also to everyone we know and meet. We are but humans and we make mistakes and we sometimes wrong others with our words but as they say prevention is better than cure. To prevent sickness, we eat good food so our body will be nourished and will stay well. As for our heart and soul, we nourish them with the Holy Spirit's guidance so we could act and speak in accordance to the Lord's will. Thank you Chris for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteThis is SO important! Mainly people use words to gossip or criticize. Jide, thank you for your comment. "An ouce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." One good cure is just not talking so much. :-) I was taught that my good words are like flowers and jewels dropping from my lips, while the bad words are like snakes and spiders. A good visualization that helps me. God bless us as we look to His Spirit to guide and correct us.
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