Speech- it needs to be part of our legacy
I grew up in a logging family in Oregon. Now you might think hmmm bet there was a lot of cussing going on and yes you would be right…Sort of. When I would go out with my dad to the landings his vocabulary changed. It seemed in the home he talked one way and on the jobsite he talked another way. When I got into Construction as a career, I found the same thing happened to me. Why was this happening?
Well everyone has their personal demons and this speech thing is one of mine. I still battle it today although as the saying goes “I have come a long way baby” but none the less there are times it’s a struggle. Actually Jesus has come a long way with me baby.
So I could control it when I had to, but when I was around the construction site and everyone was using swear words I could let it fly. A familiar pathway in my neural net that had formed over years of use, just seemed to “kick” in.
Habitual patterns of life cause “ruts “ in your life – if you have ever tried to get out of ruts once you’re in them – you know you are in for a ride. Self-will works for short burst of time , but inevitably fails. Typical whenever we try to bear fruit on our own , finding out its just plastic and not the real thing.
Jesus says abide in me and I in you and you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing. Our self-will is deceiving, even if it has good intentions. Our conscience condemns our bad habits so we figure its time to roll up our sleeves and try harder to “be good”. It’s a dead end road that leads to despair and repeated failure. And if you think reckless speech is ok – lets see what the bible says.
Taming the Tongue -James Ch 3
3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
A Tree and its fruit- Luke 6
43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is
recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from
briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an
evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks
what the heart is full of.
So we can see it’s a heart issue. And maybe some healing needs to be pursued so the Holy Spirit can do its work.
One thing is for sure it’s not an ok thing to take lightly- like any sin we need to name it
for what is, SIN. And bring it to Jesus in repentance. Sin always leads to death, and we
will see this one, as death in our relationships. How often have we had arguments with
people and later on regret what we have said.
Lets instead use our speech to glorify God and encourage others.
Ephesians 4:29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
We even don’t need to a unwholesome tongue to get us into trouble- sometimes we just
need to practice not talking so much- restraint is a holy thing- once words are said it can
be difficult to undo them. Be in tune to your emotional state and if you are elevated
perhaps waiting till later is a better choice.
Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 21:23
Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble. (NLT)
Lord help us to be pure in our speech and give this also over to you so we can leave it
as part of our Legacy
Amen
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