Another way that our mouth gets us into trouble is through boasting. We've done it, haven't we? We have all made a statement with absolute certainty that what we have said is the truth! We say things like, "The Pirates will win the division!" or "Bob Dole for President!" or "That's the ugliest doll in the world. Who's gonna buy a Cabbage Patch Kid?" And then we find out that what we said was absolutely wrong. It tough when, as the saying goes, "our mouths are writing checks that our bodies can't cash." But we've all been there at one point or another.
When our mouths begin to boast it is most likely due to a sin of pride. Pride in what we know, what we have or what we do. It can lead us to do things that are outrageous and sometimes just plain stupid.
Jesus gives us an example of a man who boasted in the things he owned. He was a very rich farmer, and one year his crops brought in so much produce, he didn't have room for it all. So instead of giving it away and feeding the poor with it, he decided that he would build bigger and better barns to store all of his goods in. But as Jesus goes on in the story, he calls this man a fool. Why? Because that very night, God came and took him out of this life.
We need to keep a tight reign on our mouths when it comes to boasting. I know a time in my own life when I felt like a fool. I was watching a football game with a friend of mine who happened to be a Ravens fan. The Ravens were playing the Steelers in a Monday Night Football match-up. The Steelers were up by two touchdowns with just over two minutes to go. I was going on and on to my friend about how sorry the Ravens were and how they were going to go down this year. But when the Ravens got the ensuing kickoff, they marched right down and scored in 46 seconds. They then tried an on-sides kickoff which they recovered. They then marched right down the field again and scored another touchdown with 5 seconds left on the clock. They'd tied it up. I was feeling brought a bit low, to be sure. I was so certain, that I didn't even think that about any other option.
God wants us to be careful that our words don't cause us to have to eat them later on. So when you speak, make sure your words are sweet, for in due time, you may have to eat them.
Share a time that you had to "eat your words" by sending me an email or commenting below. God bless you today and we will see you on Sunday!
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