Morning Moments

Psalms 19:14 (HCSB)
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Words are Witness of Right (or Rotten) Disposition.

D. L. Moody said, "Make your words soft and sweet, you never know how many you will have to eat."

Someone has said, "Words are like feathers in the wind."

Words can hurt or heal. "The tongue is a little member that is set on fire by the fire of hell", says James. They can not be "taken back", even by an apology.

Scripture teaches that we are to be "swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath."

Remember, these are my moments and I'm letting you read them, so please understand that I stand GUILTY AND CONDEMNED - B U T - not of God! Guilt is the means of leading me to acknowledge my wrong and condemnation comes from my heart, not my God.

Now let me explain. Sometimes we say things that we attempt to cover up by "joking", but those things may just be a true revelation of what is in the heart. It is just that humor makes it a little more palatable. I have written and preached and spoken most of my adult life. Sarcaism and satire have their place, but we must be very careful in the use of both that we do not destroy and that we are honestly devoted to building up and not tearing down. I try to remember that the things worth fighting for must be the things worth dying for. BUT I utterly fail at times.

I simply want my words to "minister grace to the hearer." I know they are not always so. My desire, even in "defending the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints", is for my speech to be "seasoned with salt", and "as the oracles of God", but I know they are not always that - for which I am greatly distressed. In my moments alone with God I come to realize how deeply I must have hurt people at times. Being defensive and attacking with words can do far more damage than a sword.

I remember a preacher who watched a young lady enter the service in a short skirt, and tore into the subject of mini skirts, humiliating her and sending her away broken hearted. Paul spoke of "speaking the truth in love" and that is what we must all do. Even in rebuking and correcting, we are to do it with "longsuffering and doctrine".

And with this prayer I close: Lord, teach me to be gentle and not to strive. Teach me that being loving is more important than being loud. Teach me that being respectful is just as important as being right. And Lord, teach me that no matter what I may know, it is what I show that has the greatest impact upon others. In Jesus' Name.

BLESSINGS!