I used to tell people I had the gift of truth as a license to say what I wanted to say at any given time. As we see below, there is not fruit called truth or a gift called truth.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
We can be right on an issue, but still need to keep our mouths closed. I shudder sometimes when I read what the Bible has to say about our words.
When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.
The verses I chose to list are just a few verses listed in the Bible concerning our mouths. How many times do we curse people in traffic on the way home from Bible Study or Church? I don’t mean just using vile language; I mean calling people names – stupid, jerk, etc.
The next time you call someone a name, pray something similar to:
Lord, I ask for forgiveness for cursing him/her with the words of my mouth. I ask You to bless him/her today. I plow up the bad seeds planted by the words of my mouth and I thank You for ending the process of failure, sickness, lack, and fear. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
2 comments:
Oh that we could grasp the truth that "The power of life and death are in the tongue!" Great mesage. A well needed one. We so often hear that we are called to speak the truth in love. Well, maybe. I suppose sometimes God does call us to that. But as I have aged over the many years I have come to realize that often my motivaton was not the welfare of the one to whom I spoke but for my own edification and to be found right while proving them wrong. So often we do need to remain silent and realize God doesn't need our help...to be sure He has asked us to open our mouths. Jesus was such a good example as He stood silent before His accusers! Lots of meat here too. Thank you!
Interesting and so true. It is better to send kindness to those who we feel have hurt us - rather than curses (as you pointed out).
In the wisdom of my years, I realize that we are all just beings who need love. So if you curse someone - then it is you, yourself that you curse. Definitely not what Spirit intended.
Great post.
Post a Comment