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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Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Showing posts with label words. Show all posts
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Thursday, April 6, 2017
Words
Proverbs 10:14—Wise people treasure knowledge, but the
babbling of a fool invites trouble.
How many times have you seen it? Someone starts talking
about things that they have no knowledge about, and it invariably gets them
into trouble. About 85% of all situation comedies have always been about
someone claiming something that they know about, only to find out later, they
were just trying to impress someone, and it got them into all sorts of trouble.
Well, long before the sit-com came God’s Word, and spoke
the exact same truth. Far too often we get ourselves into so much trouble
because we lie about what we know, or about what we can do, and then we’re
called out, and we have to show our cards…and then we have to tell the truth.
This proverb tells us that we ought to treasure the
knowledge that we have and not try to impress others by talking about things we
have no real knowledge of.
So, while you’re going about your day today, why not try
to speak only of that which you know. You might look more impressive that way,
and you might learn something from all the listening you’ll do!
Comment below about a time when you boasted about
knowing something or someone that you didn’t really know. And then tell us how
it turned out.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Slander and Judgment
Sunday morning we challenged you to keep an eye on your mouth this week, by making sure the things you say don't slander or judge anyone. I wanted to use this post to make something clear. We are allowed to judge certain things. What we are talking about here is the judgement that comes from a person sitting down and stating emphatically, "What you've done is not of God." The truth of the matter is that when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, many thought that what he did was not of God...and it began the most pivotal reform of the church since Christ rose from the dead. So be careful judging someone's motives, because you might miss the mark completely.
But we are allowed (and even supposed) to judge the actions of people. We are supposed to call sin, "sin." In fact, if we fail to do that, we are falling into the trap that helps the culture become able to say, "anything goes!" When we something that is wrong, we are to call it out, and not stop until that thing is changed. In the church, we are to confront, engage and encourage people.
We are to confront sin when we see brothers and sisters in Christ doing things that ought not be done by sons and daughters of the King of kings.
We are to engage in relationship with our brothers and sisters, because when we are in real relationship, we find that we are able to confront and not fear any retaliation. We can even accept confrontation when it comes our way because we know that the person is acting in our best interest.
And we are to encourage each other to live our lives the way God intended us to live them. If we don't, we are simply standing over people and not offering any help.
So watch what you say today, and live your life in such a way that God is going to do awesome things through you!
Comment about how you were able to either confront, engage or encourage in your church. And we'll see you on Sunday!
But we are allowed (and even supposed) to judge the actions of people. We are supposed to call sin, "sin." In fact, if we fail to do that, we are falling into the trap that helps the culture become able to say, "anything goes!" When we something that is wrong, we are to call it out, and not stop until that thing is changed. In the church, we are to confront, engage and encourage people.
We are to confront sin when we see brothers and sisters in Christ doing things that ought not be done by sons and daughters of the King of kings.
We are to engage in relationship with our brothers and sisters, because when we are in real relationship, we find that we are able to confront and not fear any retaliation. We can even accept confrontation when it comes our way because we know that the person is acting in our best interest.
And we are to encourage each other to live our lives the way God intended us to live them. If we don't, we are simply standing over people and not offering any help.
So watch what you say today, and live your life in such a way that God is going to do awesome things through you!
Comment about how you were able to either confront, engage or encourage in your church. And we'll see you on Sunday!
Monday, August 29, 2016
Watch Your Mouth
"Young man! You'd better watch your mouth!"
These are the words my grandmother would say to me when I would get sassy. She had a very intensity when it came to words. She wanted to make sure that the words that we used were proper and useful. She wanted to make sure that we weren't saying things that would tear people down or make them feel less than loved.
My grandmother was right! We need to keep a careful watch on our mouths. We need to be sure that the things we say match up with the things we do. We need to make sure that the words of our mouths are useful and encouraging. We need to be sure that the things we say have value and meaning. When we speak, people should know that what they are hearing is important and wise.
My father-in-law is one of those people who doesn't say a lot. When I was a youth pastor at his church, I would attend board meetings. Many times these meetings would go by and Jack wouldn't say a word. He'd sit there and just take it all in. I remember after one such meeting I asked him why he didn't say anything. He told me, "Jim, when I sit and listen to those men speak, I agree with them, I vote with them, and they are moving in the right direction. If ever there came a time when I thought that they were not, I would speak up. But there is just no sense in repeating what everyone else is saying."
I thought about that a lot, and a few years before we left that church, a situation did come up where Dad disagreed with a direction the board wanted to go. I remember because after the meeting started, Jack spoke up and said, "I have something I'd like to address, please." Every man in that room stopped what they were doing and turned to listen to my father-in-law. Why? Because he was now going to say something important.
I want people to respond that way when I open my mouth. Unfortunately for me, I am a chatter-box. I have no off switch. So often when I speak people don't listen too much. But I thank God for those men who speak little, but when they do, it is something to think about, and something wise to consider.
Let's all strive to be those types of people.
Comment below about someone you know who doesn't talk much, but when they do it is worth listening to. And we'll see you on Sunday!
These are the words my grandmother would say to me when I would get sassy. She had a very intensity when it came to words. She wanted to make sure that the words that we used were proper and useful. She wanted to make sure that we weren't saying things that would tear people down or make them feel less than loved.
My grandmother was right! We need to keep a careful watch on our mouths. We need to be sure that the things we say match up with the things we do. We need to make sure that the words of our mouths are useful and encouraging. We need to be sure that the things we say have value and meaning. When we speak, people should know that what they are hearing is important and wise.
My father-in-law is one of those people who doesn't say a lot. When I was a youth pastor at his church, I would attend board meetings. Many times these meetings would go by and Jack wouldn't say a word. He'd sit there and just take it all in. I remember after one such meeting I asked him why he didn't say anything. He told me, "Jim, when I sit and listen to those men speak, I agree with them, I vote with them, and they are moving in the right direction. If ever there came a time when I thought that they were not, I would speak up. But there is just no sense in repeating what everyone else is saying."
I thought about that a lot, and a few years before we left that church, a situation did come up where Dad disagreed with a direction the board wanted to go. I remember because after the meeting started, Jack spoke up and said, "I have something I'd like to address, please." Every man in that room stopped what they were doing and turned to listen to my father-in-law. Why? Because he was now going to say something important.
I want people to respond that way when I open my mouth. Unfortunately for me, I am a chatter-box. I have no off switch. So often when I speak people don't listen too much. But I thank God for those men who speak little, but when they do, it is something to think about, and something wise to consider.
Let's all strive to be those types of people.
Comment below about someone you know who doesn't talk much, but when they do it is worth listening to. And we'll see you on Sunday!
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Taming the Tongue
I want to begin this week with a short video. Just a word of caution, though. This video doesn't start running until about 25-30 seconds into it, so if you click it and nothing happens, just wait a minute or so, and then if nothing happens, try again.
So the tongue is the topic of our messages this week. We talked a bit about it a few weeks ago, but we're coming to it again because James seems to be telling us that if we want to influence a culture that hates Christ, then we will need to manage our words with care.
So how do we tame our tongue? We need to use the bit and bridle of the Word of God. There is an interesting passage of Scripture that we will cover in detail at a later date, but in it there is this phrase: "We take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5-NIV) In James, there are three specific places where the tongue is mentioned. Here in chapter 3, in chapter 1, and again at the end of chapter 4. James wants us to be careful about what we say. So much so, that we are to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (1:19-emphasis mine).
What these verses mean for us, taken together, is that before we open our mouths, we must learn the art of bringing our words captive and make them obedient to the will of our Heavenly Father. Before the words come out, they need to be filtered through Jesus. Would Jesus say that? Would He say it that way? Would Jesus really get angry and raise His voice here? Answering these questions helps us to bring our thoughts and our words captive to Christ so that we might be obedient sons and daughters of the King!
Comment below about a time you spoke before thinking and how it got you into trouble...and we'll see you on Sunday!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Words and Deeds
Okay, so this week, we will be in James 2:14-26.This passage of Scripture just happens to be one of my all time favorites for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is that the message contained therein is so appropriate for the church in America in these last days. So often we are big on the talking about prosperity, God's love, and the all of the cushy benefits of following Christ. But the truth of the matter is that we are called to live broken lives, persecuted lives, lives that look more like Jesus in His sufferings than His majesty.
The fact of the matter, church, is that we are promised two things in this life as we follow Jesus. We are promised His majesty, but not here and now. We are promised His majesty when we see Him face to face in His glory in Heaven. That is the promise we have...His presence with us forever and ever.
Francis Chan has illustration where he pulls out a huge rope that goes on and on out the door of his church, and on the end of the rope that he is holding is a small one inch section colored red. And he makes this connection. The church in America is all about living in this one inch space, not realizing that the whole rest of the rope is ours to be with our Lord, to find our rest and to have our reward. The insignificant amount of time that we spend here on this blue ball called "Earth" is so short in light of eternity, and yet we live to make this short time more important and more comfortable than the rest of eternity.
Yes, we are promised peace and paradise and rest and reward, but not here...not now. That all comes in the future, and we can be assured of it.
The second thing we are promised as followers of Jesus Christ is trouble. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble..." Paul said in one place, "I want to know Christ and fellowship in His sufferings." To Timothy, he writes, "In fact, everyone (not some, or a few, but everyone) who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be (a guaranteed fact) persecuted." (emphases added)
Now look, I know that this isn't popular to say nowadays, and I know that this particular blog post won't bring people flocking to follow my posts, but I can't help it...it's true. And we have to remember, folks that as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to suffer. And I'm not talking about, "Oh! The girls at school mock me because I've chosen to keep myself pure, and I'm still a virgin," or "The guys at work think I'm a prude because I don't laugh at their dirty jokes." No, I'm talking serious hatred for us because we have chosen to be identified with the King of kings. It's coming sooner than we think, so I want to challenge you as we get ready for this week's message:
Do your words and deeds match up? Are you living like you say you believe? If you aren't, then you need to take stock of what you are doing and saying, and then make sure they line up.
Comment below about a time that God had you suffer for doing what was right, or a time that you've seen someone else do it. And we will see you on Sunday!
The fact of the matter, church, is that we are promised two things in this life as we follow Jesus. We are promised His majesty, but not here and now. We are promised His majesty when we see Him face to face in His glory in Heaven. That is the promise we have...His presence with us forever and ever.
Francis Chan has illustration where he pulls out a huge rope that goes on and on out the door of his church, and on the end of the rope that he is holding is a small one inch section colored red. And he makes this connection. The church in America is all about living in this one inch space, not realizing that the whole rest of the rope is ours to be with our Lord, to find our rest and to have our reward. The insignificant amount of time that we spend here on this blue ball called "Earth" is so short in light of eternity, and yet we live to make this short time more important and more comfortable than the rest of eternity.
Yes, we are promised peace and paradise and rest and reward, but not here...not now. That all comes in the future, and we can be assured of it.
The second thing we are promised as followers of Jesus Christ is trouble. Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble..." Paul said in one place, "I want to know Christ and fellowship in His sufferings." To Timothy, he writes, "In fact, everyone (not some, or a few, but everyone) who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be (a guaranteed fact) persecuted." (emphases added)
Now look, I know that this isn't popular to say nowadays, and I know that this particular blog post won't bring people flocking to follow my posts, but I can't help it...it's true. And we have to remember, folks that as followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to suffer. And I'm not talking about, "Oh! The girls at school mock me because I've chosen to keep myself pure, and I'm still a virgin," or "The guys at work think I'm a prude because I don't laugh at their dirty jokes." No, I'm talking serious hatred for us because we have chosen to be identified with the King of kings. It's coming sooner than we think, so I want to challenge you as we get ready for this week's message:
Do your words and deeds match up? Are you living like you say you believe? If you aren't, then you need to take stock of what you are doing and saying, and then make sure they line up.
Comment below about a time that God had you suffer for doing what was right, or a time that you've seen someone else do it. And we will see you on Sunday!
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Can You Hear Me Now?
Several years ago, there was an ad campaign with the catch-phrase, "Can you hear me now?" It is quite something how God created us to be able to hear the sounds around us. With my ears I can hear the sounds of the music coming through the speakers praising our Great God! With my ears I can hear the sounds of birds singing, squirrels squeaking and dogs barking. With my ears I can hear the sound of finely tuned engine revving its engine. With my ears I can hear the cry of a newborn baby, and wonder at the miracle of new birth. With my ears I can hear my children ask me questions and tell me what is in their hearts. With my ears I can hear the concern in my wife's voice as she tells me about a problem she's facing. With my ears I can hear the sermon from my favorite pastor encouraging me to keep going and fight the good fight.
Ears are pretty amazing things. God has created us to hear. But He's also created us to listen. And those two things are not the same. I can hear my wife speaking, and still not be listening to her. I can hear my kids trying to get my attention, but I don't always listen to them. And that's a problem.
Proverbs 10:19 tells us that "when words are many, transgression (or sin) is not lacking." This simply means that when we use too many words, there is no lack of sin. But when we stop talking and listen...really listen...then we stop a lot of our sins before they have a chance to sprout.
This Sunday we will be talking about the importance of listening. We will be talking about the importance of not speaking too much. And we will be talking about the importance of keeping a lid on our tempers. God wants us to live lives that are worthy of Him and that show great promise when it comes to holiness. And so, we see that when someone asks the question, "Can you hear me now?" what they may really be saying is, "Are you really listening to me?"
And if we are going to live the holy life that God wants us to, the answer had better be "yes!"
Please feel free to comment as we would love to hear your take on this. And we'll see you Sunday!
Ears are pretty amazing things. God has created us to hear. But He's also created us to listen. And those two things are not the same. I can hear my wife speaking, and still not be listening to her. I can hear my kids trying to get my attention, but I don't always listen to them. And that's a problem.
Proverbs 10:19 tells us that "when words are many, transgression (or sin) is not lacking." This simply means that when we use too many words, there is no lack of sin. But when we stop talking and listen...really listen...then we stop a lot of our sins before they have a chance to sprout.
This Sunday we will be talking about the importance of listening. We will be talking about the importance of not speaking too much. And we will be talking about the importance of keeping a lid on our tempers. God wants us to live lives that are worthy of Him and that show great promise when it comes to holiness. And so, we see that when someone asks the question, "Can you hear me now?" what they may really be saying is, "Are you really listening to me?"
And if we are going to live the holy life that God wants us to, the answer had better be "yes!"
Please feel free to comment as we would love to hear your take on this. And we'll see you Sunday!
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