that I am still thinking on and re-reading notes and passages of Scripture. My heart is full of thankfulness for God's Word meeting each and every area of need I have! We have been focusing on these different passages in our home each week. Our pastor has been preaching through a series on "Respectable Sins". So often, we excuse certain things in our life and refuse to call it what it is...sin! This week's topic...Sins of the Tongue. OUCH! My tongue hurts...just as much as my heart has hurt. How quickly we brush off the sting of words...when we are the one speaking them! It is not so easy to rid your heart of the hurt of words. It is a daily battle...and God commands us to wage war!
Ephesians 4:29
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth..." Any speech that tears someone down, either the one we are talking about or the one we are talking to. Have you ever thought about the fact that you can be tearing down the person you are talking to?! Pastor challenged us with this thought..."When others stand before Christ to give an account, will we have helped them in areas in which they struggled?" It is easy to think of "those other people" who tear people down and it is no secret...but what about me!? There are people in my past that just the mention of their name reminds me of the hurt their tongues brought. By God's grace, love and forgiveness has covered the hurt, so I can move one and continue to invest my life in others. I should not put others at an arm's length because I have refused to let go of hurt! I need to weigh each thought and word I speak! Tearing things apart is fun and easy...building takes work and investment of your life...heart and time. Pastor put it this way..."If I use my tongue to sin, it is not an "Oops!". It is a window to my heart! If my tongue is sinning...my heart was already sinning!" Proverbs 29:20, Matthew 12:34-37, James 3:8-10 The hurt we endure should cause in us a heart of compassion for those whose hearts are filled with darkness.
"...but that which is good to the use of edifying..." We have an obligation to line people up with Scripture! Philippians 2:3, Proverbs 10:18, 28, Proverbs 12:22
"...that it may minister grace unto the hearers." We must guard the heart that guides the tongue! Psalm 19:14, Colossians 4:6
As we drove to school this morning, we were reviewing this verse and talking about times that we might be tempted to react with corrupt communication. I shared with our children that communication doesn't just mean our words...it includes our actions (rolling eyes, dropping our head, hands on our hips...) and expressions (facial and sounds). It hits me very personally and I see the same struggles in our children as we enter the next parenting chapter...pre-teen/teen.
I am thankful for the preaching and teaching we are hearing as a family...and a husband who is leading us to focus our attention throughout the week on God's Word! It is not for everyone else...it is for me!
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