So, I've been reading through James. I have a love/hate relationship with this book. It is one of the parts of Scripture that definitely brings out the truth of Heb. 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Every time I read it, it pokes and cuts like a sword. God, through James, has a lot to say about our words. The last couple weeks as I've read through it, I've been thinking quite a bit about the things I say. Some of my thoughts on this center around my verbal responses to the circumstances I find myself in, the importance of bridling my tongue--that is, bringing my words under control--, taking time to think before speaking and guarding against words spoken in anger, the responsibility that comes with teaching, the need to demonstrate maturity through not stumbling in what I say, how quickly my words influence those around me and how far reaching the results of my words may be, the need for consistency in the tone of my words--not blessing God while cursing men and allowing others to see that I mean what I say.
I was riding in a truck with some others this past week, and a couple guys were talking about sarcasm, when the verses from chapter 3 came to mind. I reminded them that the tongue "is a fire, the very world of iniquity". Jesus tells us that "every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgement." I don't know about you, but that scares me. When I think about how often I throw out careless words, talk without thinking, or wound someone with an insensitive remark, I realize how much I need to grow in this area of the tongue.
In Eph. 4 God, through Paul, offers us this instruction regarding our words: "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear." I don't see a lot of wiggle room here. None of my words should be unwholesome. How do I know if they are? If they are not good for edification. I stand condemned.
Today, as we have opportunity to speak, may we think about the responsibility that is ours as ambassadors of our God to exercise caution in our words and use our tongues as instruments of righteousness.
God, help us to obey you and bless you by blessing others in what we say.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
I AM He!
On three different occasions, Jesus utters these words. And just like His statement about being light, this too is a proclamation of His deity. To the Samaritan woman who was aware that Messiah was coming, He says, "I who speak to you am He." To those who wondered who He was, He says, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He," And to those who came seeking Him in the garden He asks, "Whom do you seek?" When they say, "Jesus the Nazarene", He responds, "I am He."
It is quite interesting to look at the differing responses of those who hear these words. The Samaritan woman demonstrates a portion of belief. But she still is unsure. She goes back to the city and tells the men what she has experienced and invites them to come and see Him. She asks them, "this is not the Christ, is it?" We see that the result is many from Sychar believed first based on the woman's words, but eventually because of Jesus' words, and they became convinced that Jesus is "indeed the Savior of the world."
The second account is in John 8. This proclamation is part of an interesting conversation. It starts with the statement we looked in the last posting. As a result of Jesus saying He was the light of the world, the religious leaders accused Him of falsely representing Himself. This lead to a discussion about bearing witness and then Jesus proclaims that He comes from above, and tells them unless they "believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." Their response? "Who are You?" He again refers to being sent from above, and then talks about His coming death being evidence to who He is. The result was that many believed.
In the garden, those who came seeking Jesus drew back and fell to the ground at His words, "I am He." Obviously, they understood the import of those words. Jesus then instructed them to let His disciples, who were with Him, go. Normally the one being taken prisoner receives instruction rather than giving it. But Jesus does not fit into "normal."
In each of these settings, people believed as a result of three words. "I am He." Jesus still makes this proclamation today. I wonder, what does my response indicate about my faith? Do I, like the Samaritans, allow who Jesus is to change who I am? Or am I more like the religious leaders of the day, looking for an argument, promoting who I am? I believe there are times when those words ought to drive me to my knees in wonder and awe like those who came seeking Him in the garden. What about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the one sent from above to be the perfect sacrifice, bearing our sin on the cross, satisfying God's wrath, offering us hope for eternal life? How will these three words change the course of our lives?
It is quite interesting to look at the differing responses of those who hear these words. The Samaritan woman demonstrates a portion of belief. But she still is unsure. She goes back to the city and tells the men what she has experienced and invites them to come and see Him. She asks them, "this is not the Christ, is it?" We see that the result is many from Sychar believed first based on the woman's words, but eventually because of Jesus' words, and they became convinced that Jesus is "indeed the Savior of the world."
The second account is in John 8. This proclamation is part of an interesting conversation. It starts with the statement we looked in the last posting. As a result of Jesus saying He was the light of the world, the religious leaders accused Him of falsely representing Himself. This lead to a discussion about bearing witness and then Jesus proclaims that He comes from above, and tells them unless they "believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins." Their response? "Who are You?" He again refers to being sent from above, and then talks about His coming death being evidence to who He is. The result was that many believed.
In the garden, those who came seeking Jesus drew back and fell to the ground at His words, "I am He." Obviously, they understood the import of those words. Jesus then instructed them to let His disciples, who were with Him, go. Normally the one being taken prisoner receives instruction rather than giving it. But Jesus does not fit into "normal."
In each of these settings, people believed as a result of three words. "I am He." Jesus still makes this proclamation today. I wonder, what does my response indicate about my faith? Do I, like the Samaritans, allow who Jesus is to change who I am? Or am I more like the religious leaders of the day, looking for an argument, promoting who I am? I believe there are times when those words ought to drive me to my knees in wonder and awe like those who came seeking Him in the garden. What about you? Do you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the one sent from above to be the perfect sacrifice, bearing our sin on the cross, satisfying God's wrath, offering us hope for eternal life? How will these three words change the course of our lives?
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