Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Do my Words reflect my Heart (Part 1)

From time to time, Pastor Lamb allows me to post here.  Today is part one of a two part post.   Bill Davis

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalms 19:14) KJV


This scripture is often used as part of a closing prayer by Rich Hulsey, our Worship Pastor, and probably by a lot of others, as well.  When I was growing up, the youth group we had, called "Lifeliners," used this verse almost like a pledge.  We recited it every time we came together.

Those words were certainly meaningful to me back then; I prayed them with my mouth and my heart.  As I read, or pray or think of them today, it is with a completely different and deeper meaning than they had back then.

Do I really pay attention to what I say in everyday conversation?

I remember the first time I was in a setting where there were several Jewish people.  (I really didn’t think very much about it, other than I had never knowingly been around observant Jews before.)  I vividly remember saying something that I had heard all my life, but had never even thought of it being a slur to Jews……  At that moment I realized that it was. 

Words often are thought to be a small thing when they are said; they are so fleeting but their effect can do harm that you can never undo.  My mother and my wife have said, “you can’t un-ring a bell.”

Although interacting with others is a critical part of our lives, we need to be ever mindful of how we do it.  Paul wrote to the church in Colossae:

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. Colossians 4:6 (KJV)


The New Century Version says: When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. Colossians 4:6 (NCV)

When we were children, we learned to speak.  We spend the rest of our lives learning how to choose our words and have power over our tongues, with God’s help.



Part 2 Next week…..

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