Oh, this mouth!

“You’re a coward,” she told me, “afraid to speak the truth.”  The woman thought I should take a more public position about current political issues. Her words were like a punch in the gut even though I know they are not an accurate reflection of who I am.  In another conversation, I heard a person recount how words spoken in rage continued to echo days later. The damage was done and making it is going to take work over a long time.  On Sunday, while preaching, I made an attempt at humor that ended up backfiring, creating the possibility of offense.  Almost as soon as I said it, I knew I had made a mistake.   

Has your mouth ever gotten you into trouble? Ever said something in anger, in jest, or in an unguarded moment that you wished you could reel back in and erase?  Yes? Me, too!

The wisdom of God counsels us to  "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV) 
“Full of grace!”  Chose words that encourage the best, that bring hope, shaped by a rich acceptance of others. It’s so easy to criticize and condemn, isn’t it?  Why do we so readily find ourselves speaking of the failures of others instead of celebrating successes?  From time to time we will have to bring correction but even then we can find graceful words instead of condemning. God, help us! 

“Seasoned with salt!” is one of those interesting phrases that we find a bit difficult to bring into our context. Salt was a much more precious item in Bible times. It was used carefully and sparingly, both as flavor and preservative.  So the command is to make our words valuable, in a way that enhances life.

James instructs us with practicality. As you read this inspired text, ask God to help you to integrate it into your life. "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on." (James 3:5-10, The Message)

Sometimes I think that only answer to my unruly mouth is to stop talking altogether. Of course that is both impossible and impractical. The real solution is to let the Holy Spirit change the source of those words. "Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring." (James 3:11-12, NLT)  Jesus reminds us that words are the overflow of our heart, our inner person.  Our prayer is that the Lord will root out pride, hate, prejudice, unforgivness – replacing those things with love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness. Will we still make mistakes from time to time? Of course, we are growing in grace. Begin to pray, “Lord, change my heart,” not “Lord, filter my words.”

Here is a word from the Word. May it live in us, making us more like Jesus. "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace." (Ephesians 4:2-3, NLT) "Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church." (Ephesians 4:14-15, NLT)

__________

Father, let the words of my mouth

And the thoughts of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.

As you change my attitudes and ideas,

May I not say, “Oh, this mouth,” with regret,

But rather give thanks for the gift of words that

Build and bless!

Lord, begin to change our national conversation.

There are so many harsh, ugly, condemning words

Being hurled by us these days.

Teach us, as Your children, to speak words

That are full of grace and life enhancing,

For the glory of God.

In Jesus’ Name,  Amen.

God of THIS day

In a conversation with my son a couple of weeks ago, I applauded his decision to take a trip to Scotland with his wife. I thought about trips delayed because of my sense of responsibility, thinking that the time would come someday for Bev and me – and then, cancer came, followed by death which changed everything. 

Yes, I know, what a downer but when I met death, up close and personally, it brought stark clarity.  I refuse to allow the wisps of regret from yesterday and the shapeless dreams of what might be tomorrow to own me today. With the dawn of each day, I commit myself to the leading of the Spirit and to the opportunities that come my way.

What is it about our humanity that makes yesterday or tomorrow so attractive? The older a person becomes the more he tends to remember the past, longing to relive the joys.  The young are drawn to their dreams of a future that they are certain is just a year away when some set of circumstances converge that will allow them to live happily ever after. In fact, as the old song says, “we have this moment today.”  

The letter to the Hebrews includes these inspired words about the most important decision.  Using the illustration of the OT wandering of Israel when they failed to enter the Promised Land and the command of the Sabbath, the Spirit urges us to LIVE TODAY in the full promise and presence of the Father. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:7-13, NIV)

We who live in this Christian era are given a place of full spiritual rest in God. We can live TODAY in the Spirit, not questing, not hoping, not longing for what is yet to come, nor reaching for what once was. We can know Him fully TODAY as we rest our faith on the completed work of Christ Jesus on our behalf. The ancient Israelites were offered the Promised Land but saw only the obstacles and their faithlessness caused them to be wanderers for an entire generation!  IF they had trusted God, He could have led them to a settled land. What a lesson for our pilgrimage. God has a place of fullness for us TODAY, where we can settle into His grace, know the deep joy of being at home in His plan and purpose. 

Will we enter into that rest? To be sure, there is growth for us. There are new discoveries yet to come, but our salvation from sin, our place in the family of God is secure by Jesus and we can rest in that, people at peace with God and from that place of serenity, at peace in our world. The Spirit reminds us that our rest is not a sleepy one!  God’s Word, ‘living and active,’ directs us, gives us insight, and perfects us even as we keep the surety of future reward in mind. 

Are you restless? 
Does discontent, brought on by nostalgia, regret, or anticipation, own you?  
LIVE TODAY!  The Word says,  "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity." (Colossians 4:5, NIV)  Rest on Christ’s love.  Reject temptation, refuse entry to those thieves who go by the name of Past and Future.  Know the fullness of life Jesus promises us TODAY when He says,  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10, NIV)

Here is a word from the Word. Lord, speak to us and let us hear with readily obedient hearts and minds."Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. 
Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." (Psalm 1, NIV)

______________

We Have This Moment Today

Hold tight to the sound

Of the music of living

Happy songs from the laughter

Of children at play

Hold my hand as we run

Through the sweet fragrant meadows

Making mem'ries of what was today

Tender words gentle touch

And a good cup of coffee

And someone that loves me

And wants me to stay

Hold them near while they're here

And don't wait for tomorrow

To look back and wish for today

For we have this moment

To hold in our hands

And to touch as it slips

Through our fingers like sand

Yesterday's gone

And tomorrow may never come

But we have this moment today

Gloria Gaither | William J. Gaither

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I’ll call you when I need you

Ever been plagued with a ‘friend’ who only calls you when they are in need of something? Months go by and they never call, then their voice in on the other end of the phone and they gush about how much they have missed the connection, how busy life is, and … wait for it  - “could you help me out?” 

Nobody likes to be used in that manner. Proverbs says that a true "friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (Proverbs 17:17, NIV)  

Let’s shift our focus to our relationship with our Father in Heaven. How faithfully do we love Him? Are we as faithful in the ‘summer’ times of life as we are when ‘winter’ comes? Do offer prayers and find ourselves in worship only when we are desperate or alone, when we need something?  Sometimes it is a conscious act, a kind of  "Let's Make A Deal" with God where we think that if we are really 'good,' that God will reward us with the answer we seek.   More often, I believe increased devotion is the result of increased awareness of our weaknesses that drives to our knees and into the church house to pursue God's Presence.   How sad He must be when we forget Him when all is well.

Moses prepared the God’s people to enter the Promised Land near the end of their 40 year wilderness trek. From the time of the exodus, through many tests and trials, they lived with the visible Presence of the Lord and were fed every morning with miraculous manna.  Through up’s and down’s, they learned to be His own.  Once they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land, they would find resources, begin to grow their own food, engage in commerce, and settle down. Going from refugee status to prosperous citizens would create a new kind of temptation.  Of their coming prosperity Moses said, "Make sure you don’t forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up— make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God, the God who delivered you from Egyptian slavery." (Deuteronomy 8:11-14, The Message) His warning was soon forgotten and within a generation that nation was full of idolatry and immorality. They forgot their privileged status as God’s own nation and chased trinkets of life and trivial gods of the Canaanites among who they lived.

It can happen to us, too.  We can slip away from devotion as we forget God's goodness to us in our time of desperation - becoming casual in our commitment to His ways, neglecting our devotion. The pattern is old and familiar - Crisis comes. God is sought fervently. There is a realization of His love. A relationship appears to blossom. The crisis passes, life normalizes, and with new prosperity, prayers and devotion gradually disappear.  

Here is a little parable – Jim and Sally scratch out a living, working hard to make ends meet.  Somehow, even as babies arrive, they make the time required to teach Sunday School, serve in outreach, and meet regularly with other Christians. The joys of life are simple, centered around their love for God, His people, and the church.  20 years pass and when they move into mid-life, the daily responsibilities of parenting are gone. Their diligence at work is rewarded with promotion and an increase in income.  There are now choices about leisure time, resources to use in a discretionary way.  Will this become a time to find greater places of service, to invest the second half of life in God’s work in new ways or will this become a time to serve Self?  Will God become a forgotten Friend?

Moses words need to echo in our minds - "Remember where you came from, Who brought you here, and what He desires from you!"   He told them to talk about the Lord constantly, to keep His laws fresh in their minds and hearts, to keep their children.   He was direct with them.  "I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. " (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, The Message)  Choose Life – today, tomorrow, until Eternity.

Here's a word from the Word -

"You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’

And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire.  Then you will be rich.

And also buy white garments so you will not be shamed by your nakedness.

And buy ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference.

“Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." (Revelation 3:17-20, NLT)

_______________

Lord I Need You

Lord, I come, I confess;

Bowing here, I find my rest.

And without You, I fall apart,

You're the one that guides my heart.

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You,

Ev'ry hour I need You;

My one defense, my righteousness,

Oh God, how I need You.

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more.

Where grace is found is where You are,

And where You are Lord, I am free.

Holiness is Christ in me.

Where You are Lord, I am free,

Holiness is Christ in me.

So teach my song to rise to You,

When temptation comes my way.

And when I cannot stand, I'll fall on You.

Jesus, You're my hope and stay.

Christy Nockels | Daniel Carson | Jesse Reeves | Kristian Stanfill | Matt Maher

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