“Don’t be rash with your mouth and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.” ~Ecclesiastes 5:2
The verse above shows us that we have to guard our tongue and mouth. Paul likens the tongue to a small flame that can kindle a mighty fire. Instead of having to give excuses we should watch what we say first.
“Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was in error.” ~Ecclesiastes 5:6
We cannot trust excuses to save what we have said. We must watch our tongues (I know this from experience). This week, I am going to watch what I say.
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And He laid His hands on them and departed from there.” ~Matt. 19:14-15
Nick,
I’ve written before about being mentors to younger kids through teaching and instructing, but this time I want to touch on another aspect. Throughout His ministry, Jesus repeatedly exhibits tender-heartedness. One of the clearest examples is at Lazarus’s tomb. John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” Oh! the power in that simple verse! How comforting it is to know that the Creator of the Universe loves the dust of the earth so much that He weeps at their death! We, too, are to be tenderhearted. This tenderness should extend not only to little children, but also to adults. However, I think children need a special tenderness; a tenderness that expresses itself in gentleness, patience, and love. Look at Jesus’ words above: “for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Children are God’s special gift to us. He gives us charge of a helpless infant to show us how to teach, love, and learn. Children’s relationship to their parents mirrors the relationship we have with God. In His eyes, we are helpless infants who totally rely on His grace and mercy. Children are indeed a great gift. But tenderness is also to be shown to adults. At work, at home, on vacation, wherever you might be, you are to always to be tenderhearted. Does this mean we aren’t supposed to discipline or be firm? On the contrary, but it should always be done with a loving spirit, seeking to better, rather than avenge. Now this may seem irrelevant at this moment in our lives, but it isn’t, in fact. We are confronted with many opportunities to show loving correction to either younger (or older) siblings or young kids at church. We have plenty of opportunities to practice for when we have children (and spouses). Always remember, if it wasn’t for the Lord’s tenderheartedness, we wouldn’t be here at all. May the Lord bless you and keep you this week!
“Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.”~Prov. 3:13-14
Men all long to be wise. It is what has made some of the greatest leaders in history. Robert E. Lee, Theodore Roosevelt, and many others. But these men knew the true source of wisdom: God. Men today have forgotten that. Listen to this verse from Job,
“But where can wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living.”~Job 28:13
We need to lay all of our trust in God to be wise. We can not depend on our own wisdom, but must find it through God. This is what makes a man truly great; not fame, riches or power, but wisdom from God.
“Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation…My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”~Ps. 5:1,3
Nick,
Throughout the Psalms, we see a pattern: every Psalm is directed to God. The whole Bible, in fact, is one continuous story of God’s majesty, mercy, and love. In our modernized world, we are often distracted from the things of the Lord. TV and radio commercials encourage us to buy things to improve our lives; newspapers and magazines highlight the scandals and sin of our culture; internet chat groups entice us to spend more time looking at a computer screen and less time enjoying actual fellowship and encouragement from believers. Books are also written to satisfy our fleshly lusts. For instance, what good is there in mystery novels? There is never anything God- glorifying behavior, but only death: a constant reminder of Man’s sin and the consequence of it. Self-help books do not point to God as the solution to our troubles, but rather to our own selves. Even supposedly Christian books contain a shockingly enormous amount of sensuality. I bring this all up to illustrate, and to show more clearly, the need for godly thinking and judgment. Our thoughts are always to be on the Lord. Morning prayer times and evening Bible studies are important for our spiritual growth, but we should always be questioning our actions as to whether or not they are for God’s glory.
If you watch a movie, before you even turn on the TV, you should ask, “Is what I am going to see and hear going to make me become more like Christ?” Before you pick up a book, evaluate whether it contains godly examples, whether the plot ends with the good side victorious, and whether there is God-honoring behavior. In Scripture we repeatedly see sinful man turning away from God, but God always returns victorious.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”~1 Cor. 10:31
So, whether you’re reading a book, playing a game, watching a movie, eating, drinking, walking down a sidewalk, etc., constantly be asking yourself whether you are glorifying God with your actions. The world needs godly men to lead; men who glorify God in all that they do. We are to be those men who take up the duty of leadership. May the Lord bless you this week.
“Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord! For He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can declare all His praise?”~Ps. 106:1-2
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps.”~Ps. 121:1-2
“In You, O Lord, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline Yo9ur ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge to which I may resort continually; you have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress."~Ps. 71:1-3
“ Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful. Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy. For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You.” ~Ps. 33
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.”~Ps. 34
“Hear and give ear: do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains, and while you are looking for lights, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it dense darkness.”~Jer. 13:15-16
We are supposed to give glory to God in everything. We are not to be proud, but to be humble. Part of Jeremiah 13:18 says, “…Humble youselves; sit down, for your rule will collapse.” Throughout the Bible, we are told to be humble, to glorify God, and to glorify Him in everything. Everything we do, everything we think. We can’t do that because we are fallen man. But that’s why Christ died and rose. That is why we were created: to glorify God. We are to glorify God always.
