If you don't have anything good to say.......

“Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent........””

Matthew 26:62-63 NLT -- http://bible.com/116/mat.26.62-63.nlt

If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.

This might be the "go to" quote of my life. I'm not saying I'm the best at following it, but I do think about it often. I share its wisdom with my students, and believe it is very biblical. The power of the tongue is also very biblical. The words from our mouths can do wonders to lift people up and to tear them down. As Christians, we better be more about lifting people up with positive comments than being mean and cruel with our mouths. There is nothing that can destroy our witness more than our own cruel words. How can we exude the love of Jesus if we attack people with hurtful words? The world sees through our shallow faith when we can't control our tongue.

It is time for Christians to stand up and hold each other accountable for our own words. We must be careful and make sure our words are words that Jesus would speak. We need to make sure our love shines stronger than our hate. How can we bring others to know Jesus, or better yet, how can we even earn the right to share Jesus, when we speak cruelly of the world. Something has to change.

Lord, help us to tame our tongues. Help us to live by the mantra speaking good or speaking nothing at all. I praise you Lord, for your patience with us even when we don't represent your love as we should. Amen!

Why did I do that?

“The LORD’s light penetrates the human spirit, exposing every hidden motive.”

Proverbs 20:27 NLT. (http://bible.com/116/pro.20.27.nlt)

Why did I do that? This has been an all too familiar question throughout my life. I'm sure that's true for most of us with a conscience. Unfortunately when we get to that key question, the damage is done. Usually the damage is done through words. Once the words escape your mouth, it's too late. You can never recapture them. The consequences are set in motion. I have been on both ends of poorly chosen words. I've spoken them, with regret and I have had them spoken about me. 

Words are so powerfully destructive or so powerfully uplifting.

When I've been hurt, it takes some time to heal. I do heal, but the process is slow. When I've offended someone, I want them to heal quickly. I want the scars to go away. The best way I've seen to combat my loose tongue is to multiply my efforts to love the person I've offended. It can be tough and most people avoid that awkward situation. I recommend confronting that situation head on. Love conquers all. 

Even better than the healing power of love is the power of the Holy Spirit at eliminating the hurt before it occurs. If we let the light of the spirit chase away our hurt, our vengeance, and our hate, words of destruction will not be apart of our vocabulary. We will only build up. We will only speak of love and kindness. I need the Holy Spirit to keep my tongue in check. We need the power of Jesus to work in the hearts of people to eliminate the pain of poorly spoken words.

Forgive me Lord for hurting others and help me forgive others that hurt me. We can only do that with your love. Help us to mimic you and the way you handle those that hurt you and speak bad about you. Your mercy and grace should be our own goal. We love you Lord. We praise you and thank you for the joy in our lives.

A truly wise person.........

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.”

Proverbs 17:27 NLT (http://bible.com/116/pro.17.27.nlt)

I have weaknesses. 

We all do. 

I am a talker and I can not say I'm even tempered in any way. I'm trying. The older I get the more I listen and speak less. In my "younger and dumber" days of the past I would speak without thinking. My emotions would get my tongue moving before I would listen or think about the impact of my words. I still do that. It just happens much less than it used to. God is continuing his work in me. 

I praise God for how he has changed me through my life. I am not where I want to be, but I am moving toward those goals. I love it that God is patient with me. He has no notion that I will achieve perfection. He doesn't care. He wants me to love him, talk with him, and work towards growth and perfection. Sure it pains him when I say something stupid that hurts others. He doesn't want me to offend others when I'm in a bad mood. I will suffer the consequences of those poor choices, but he loves me through it all. 

Thank You Lord for loving me and being patient with me. ThAnk you for helping me grow toward perfection. I know I won't get there, but moving toward it is your hope and desire. I love you Lord and want to do and say the things that will make you proud. Amen!

People are not nice!

“Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.”

Proverbs 12:18 NLT (http://bible.com/116/pro.12.18.nlt)

What ever happened to civility? Is it no longer proper to keep your mouth closed if you have nothing good to say? I watched mega hours of political debate tonight and those people were downright mean to each other. It was entertaining the same way that the super bowl is entertaining, but is it right. Is it the way we want our politicians to treat each other. Sure we can talk about immigration, abortion, jobs, the economy, or a host of other topics, but maybe we should legislate being nice to each other. I'm a little shocked that many people support candidates tha spew fiery rhetoric at "each other".  I do want a strong, confident candidate, but not at the expense of respect. I want them to be passionate about their mission, plans, and aspirations. I don't want them to act like school kids fighting at recess. 

We need to get back to really loving each other regardless of the differences of opinion we have. We need to be nice to each other. How can you share the love of Christ without that coming out of your mouth? God wants us to use our words to bring healing. He wants us to use our words to build up and not tear down. He wants us to speak well about people wether they are with us or not. He wants us to listen more than we speak, but when we do, we need to be nice! 

Lord, I love you. Please forgive me for my "cutting" words. Fill me with your spirit, use my words to be an extension of your love. Thank you Lord for loving me even with my flaws, weaknesses,and my poor judgement. Amen!

Words!

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35 NIV)

I love words. I'm a Math teacher, but the way people communicate can be quite fascinating. Lately, through school, I have been helping grade writing assignments. It has been challenging and rewarding at the same time. I have always loved books and have read continuously throughout my life. No book compares to the Bible. No words compare to those words inspired by the creator of the universe, written through his spirit in man.

The Bible is such an awesome book in my life. The word of God, on paper, for me. It is a guide, a resource, a direction for me to follow. It has endured the tests of time and the scrutiny of millions. It is unfallible, perfect, and sacred. I love studying it and serving through its message. I am always awestruck by its relevance right now. It's not a pie-in-the-sky feeling, it's real! The critiques have tried for thousands of years to tear down its value. Faith and experience have demonstrated to me PERSONALLY their folly.

Thank you Lord for your love. Thank you for your word and it's life giving guidance. Please Lord keep my eyes and my heart open to my daily Bible Study. Reveal to me how to make those words a part of my life not just print on a page. Praise God for the truths you have written in this wonderful book.

Sticks and stones!

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:3-6 NIV)

Do you remember "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never harm me."?

I'm sure most of you have heard and also said it. It's not true! As a matter of fact, words are more hurtful than sticks and stones. Injuries from sticks and stones will heal. Injuries from hurtful words may never heal. I don't know about you, but I have said some pretty hurtful words before. Trust me, you can't take them back and now with the Internet social network sites and email, they are easier to say. It used to be people were pretty brave on the phone or on paper. Now they also have the web to hide behind. When hateful people say or post something it's makes a permanent "footprint".
Be careful what you post. Be careful what you email, the damage can be permanent. God wants us to tame our tongues or our posts, or emails, or tweets, or whatever else you do online. Remember you are a follower of Christ. Would he be proud of what you post? If not, don't!

Words aren't enough

Psalm 150

 ¹ Praise the LORD.^[a]

   Praise God in his sanctuary;
   praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power;
   praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
   praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing,
   praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals,
   praise him with resounding cymbals.

 ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

   Praise the LORD.

This chapter gives us a variety of ways to praise God. All sorts of instruments and even with our bodies (dancing). One of the things is doesn't say is praise God with our mouths. Now don't get me wrong. We should certainly praise God with our voices. But it is not enough to Praise God with our words. 

Sometimes our words are not enough. We can tell someone we care but it's more important that we take action to show them. We can tell someone we love them, but what way do we actually demonstrate that love. Sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes we need to act. When we act to back up our words, the words mean so much more. 

You've heard "Actions speak louder than words." Well I think this chapter does a wonderful job illustrating that Praising God is more than just words. Actions speak louder than our word when it comes to praising the Lord of the Universe.

Be careful little tongue what you say!

Psalm 59 (New International Version, ©2011)

¹² For the sins of their mouths,
   for the words of their lips,
   let them be caught in their pride.
For the curses and lies they utter,
 ¹³ consume them in your wrath,
   consume them till they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
   that God rules over Jacob.

The tongue is a powerful tool or a powerful weapon. I guess it depends on the user. The Bible agrees:

Proverbs 18:21 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ²¹ The tongue has the power of life and death,
   and those who love it will eat its fruit.


It may seem odd that we can sin just by what we say. The obvious is a lie, or as the ten commandments state, bearing false witness. The other is also obvious, using the name of the Lord in vain. But, these verses talk about other sins of the mouth. Don't forget about curses and words of pride in ourselves.

I have to admit I can curse when I really get mad and I like it when I am recognized for my accomplishments. When is that we cross the line between inappropriate language and stating our accomplishments, to sins of pride and cursing?

Our lies, our pride, and our cursing can be damaging to others and even damaging to God. When we cross over the line with our tongue to hurt others, we will suffer the wrath of God. Those sins will not be forgotten. We, myself included, need to guard our tongue. It can do more to damage our witness and damage the kingdom than nearly any other sin we commit. We cut other down, build ourselves up to the expense of others. We lie for many reasons. We curse!

Lord, Forgive our sins. Out sins are many. We ask your help in controlling what we say. We ask your strength and grace in our sinfulness. We love you and thank you for sacrificing your son for our sins. Praise God you loved us that much! Amen!

If you don't have anything good to say.................

Psalm 39 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ¹ I said, “I will watch my ways
   and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
   while in the presence of the wicked.” ² So I remained utterly silent,
   not even saying anything good.



I am sure everyone has heard, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all!" Well, I didn't know it was Biblical. I sometimes need a muzzle. I don't think I'm the only one. As Christians we (meaning me) sometimes think we have an obligation to point out others sins. I would say that more often than not, when we point out others faults, it's not taken well. That's true even when we're right.

We can make more of an impact if we keep our mouth shut and just let our actions do the talking. I'm not sure why I think my actions aren't enough. Maybe it's because my actions don't always match my words. Or better yet, maybe my actions don't match GOD's WORD.

Dear Lord, Keep me from sinning, especially sinning with my tongue. I know my words can do more to hurt you than any actions I could possibly take. Forgive me when my words and actions don't match. I love you Lord and don't want to keep people from knowing you! You are an awesome God and I beg your forgiveness. Amen!

Think before you Speak!

Psalm 19 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
   may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
   innocent of great transgression.
 ¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
   be pleasing in your sight,
   LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.


10 years ago this week my Dad passed away. He was a great man. He was a Methodist Minister that started in the ministry very late in his life. Psalm 19:14 is a great reminder of my Dad. My Dad started nearly all of his sermons with this prayer. He was so sincere about this. He wanted to make sure that the words he spoke in each and every sermon were words from his Lord, his Rock, and his Redeemer. He lived his life the same way. He wanted to make sure the words of his mouth were always from the Lord. I am sure he struggled with this like all of us. But, it was the goal of his life.

We should all be as careful as my Dad about what we say. Words can be so hurtful. With our own words we can build-up or tear-down. With our words we can commit the most heinous of sins or deliver the most righteous praise. Because of the power of words, we should choose them very carefully. How many times have you been told to think before you speak? Oh, how true that is. What a great world we would have if we would all start with this little prayer before we speak. "May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer."