Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from Phillips, Craig, and Dean singing Let My Words Be Few ... poignantly singing good advice for all of us … to watch what we speak in God’s Name and for His glory.
==============
Highlight Verse[s]: James 3:2 [NLT] ... 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. ... James admonished fellow Christians (us too!) to think and speak as God would have us do so.
==============
Highlight Passage [context]: James 3:1-12 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ... .
.. God, thru James, admonishes us (Christians) to control what we say.
==============
Reference Passage : ... Proverbs 23:7a [NKJV] ... 7 As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.
... God, thru Solomon, warns us that we become (or say) what we think.
Reference Passage : ... Galatians 5:22-23 [NLT] … 10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” He said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”
.. Jesus, to a crowd of followers (as if it were us) … warning us to watch what we say.
Reference Passage : ... Ephesians 4:29 [NLT] ... 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
... God, thru Paul, gives us guidelines for how we should speak to others.
Reference Passage : ... Colossians 4:6[NLT] ... 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. ... Paul reiterates to other Christians how we should be careful how we speak to others.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Dave Branon, uses a literary reference to illustrate how difficult it is to bridle the tongue. … The ODB author wrote: In West with the Night, author Beryl Markham detailed her work with Camciscan, a feisty stallion she was tasked with taming. She’d met her match with Camciscan. No matter what strategy she employed, she could never fully tame the proud stallion, chalking up only one victory over his stubborn will.
How many of us feel this way in the battle to tame our tongues?
In today’s highlight passage from Jesus’ brother, James, we read how difficult it is to tame our tongues (i.e., controlling our speech). And the Bible is replete with such warnings (see reference passages above). And I would wager (tho I’m not a betting man) that many of my readers here have heard a parent say, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say ________ !! … Yeah, and I’d also bet you can fill in that blank, can’t you?!
The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, probably gave us the best advice on how to bridle our tongues, exhorting us, in Eph. 4:29, to avoid saying anything unless what we say imparts edification or grace to the hearers. And, from the same passage, we should especially avoid damaging or corrupt words. And the only way we can do that is to control the way we think (see Prov. 23:7 (NKJV)).
The photo shows it well, doesn't it? That … if we think - as Christ would think - we just might say what He would want us to say. ... So, my prayer today reflects that truth, … that we will speak only words of grace and truth to those we encounter today.
=============
My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, ... for helping us, from studying and knowing Your truth, to think as You would think and speak the words which provide grace to those we encounter.
=============
My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to think and say what God would impart to others thru our lips. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
No comments:
Post a Comment