Wednesday in the Word - 4.19.2023

The Tongue Also Is a Fire!

Over the past few weeks, God has really been speaking to me about the words that come out of my mouth.  I don't know about you, but it is so easy for me to say words quickly without even thinking about how they might impact those who hear.  I have been reminded by God just how powerful my words can be to others.  Proverbs 15:4 says, "The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit."  Proverbs 18:21 says, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."  We need to understand the truth about the muscle in our mouth - the tongue.  We need to understand the truth about the words we speak - to those we are speaking to directly and to those who are indirectly listening.  Our words have power, power of life and power of death.

James tells us in James 3 that "the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts."  He goes on to tell us that "the tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body," and he says that "no human being can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."  In James 3:9-10, he says, "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters, this should not be."  I know it sounds hopeless; it sounds like our tongues and our words are only capable of destruction and evil.  BUT GOD!  When we repent of our sin and put our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God exchanges our heart of stone with a heart of flesh!  Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."  

As Christ followers, our hope is Jesus.  Because of our faith in Jesus and because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered and enabled to be God's vessels of grace, mercy, and love...in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, our churches, and our communities.  With new hearts, we have the opportunity to speak words of life to others.  His Spirit will lead us and guide us to use words that build others up rather than tear others down.  Just as James tells us in James 3, we can't tame our on tongues; we need help, and God gives us help!  We will either embrace God or reject God; we will either accept His help or reject it.  The first part of embracing God and embracing His help is to admit our problem.  We have a heart problem.  The problem we have with the tongue and with these words of destruction pouring out of the mouth is a heart problem (see Proverbs 4:23 and Matthew 12:34-40). The next part of embracing God and embracing God's help is daily humbling ourselves before God, repenting of our sin, and allowing the Spirit of God to fill our hearts and minds.  When we are truly focused on God and focused on being God's vessel of grace, mercy, and love to others, we will see others at those "who have been made in God's likeness," and we will speak to them and treat them as such.  Over the past few weeks, I have been praying for God to forgive me and for God to fill me with His Spirit.  I have been praying for God to help me use words that build up rather than tear down...not just for those people I love or people I like but for all people, even those who mistreat me or curse me.  And, yes, I NEED HELP!  And, yes, GOD IS MY HELPER!  I am thankful for God's grace and mercy and love to me and through me.  I am thankful for the opportunities God gives me each day to use words wisely, to possess a "soothing tongue that is a tree of life!"  Lord, keep on helping me and empowering me and enabling me...for Your glory.  Amen!

Thank You for the Hard Stuff, Too!

This morning I went on another run.  I've been training for an upcoming marathon, and I have most of my runs planned out in advance with the Nike Run Club app on my watch.  One of my favorite coaches on the NRC app is Coach Bennett.  Today's run was a good one by Coach Bennett: "THANK YOU RUN."  It was a 45-minute recovery run, and Coach Bennett reminded me of how much I should be thankful for in my life.  Of course, I started off thanking God for my wife, my kids, my church family, and many other good people and good things in my life.  However, as I was running and listening, I began to think about difficult circumstances and even difficult people I've faced or am facing in my life.  I couldn't help but think about the passage in Luke 6:27-28.  Jesus said to His followers, "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."  Jesus went on to say in Luke 6:29-31, "If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.  If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.  Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  Do to others as you would have them do to you."  Jesus finishes this passage in Luke 6:35-36, by saying, "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.  Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

I have to be honest with you.  This is a difficult passage for me.  It is not difficult for me to understand; Jesus is very clear with His words.  This is a difficult passage for me because it is not a natural response for me.  I don't naturally respond to difficult people, mean people, hateful and hurtful people by loving them or praying for them.  I don't naturally respond to my enemies by turning the other cheek or being kind or being merciful.  However, I am thankful for the Spirit of God.  The Spirit of God indwelling me leads and guides me to honor God with my words and with my actions.  On most days, if not each day, it is easy for me to love and to do good and to pray for my wife, my kids, my church family, and for those who treat me well.  However, even then, I can still be selfish and lack gratitude.  I can take advantage of those good relationships.  I am actually thankful for the opportunities God gives me when difficult people, even enemies, comes against me.  In those circumstances, I am reminded of how desperate I am for the Spirit of God to lead me and guide me and use me as a vessel of God's love, grace, and mercy.  I am desperate for God to help me look and live and love like Jesus when people say ugly things to me or about me, when people mistreat me.  And I am even thankful for the difficult circumstances, the hard times of life, that remind me of my desperate need for God.  I am thankful for the difficult circumstances in my life because I know that God can and will use those moments to grow me in my faith and use me for His kingdom purposes.  That is what James says in James 1:2-4, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  This morning as I ran, the roads were wet and slick.  At one point, I slid a little bit and almost tripped.  Instead of getting angry, I just said, "Thank You, God, for keeping me on my feet."  During another stretch, a car hit a water puddle and slug water all over my backside.  My natural response would have been to get mad and boil over with anger.  However, as I listened to Coach Bennett talk about being thankful, I just said out loud to my Father, "Thank You, God, for protecting me just now.  Thank You for keeping me on my feet and allowing me to run today, even in these difficult circumstances."

After a few hours of thinking and praying, I can sit here now and say to God, "Thank You for the hard stuff, too.  Thank You for giving me opportunities to experience growth and for opportunities to look and to live and to love more like Jesus.  Amen."