Shit!, Bull shit! (BS),Holy Shit, Damn!, Fish!, What the...!, and more….
I know it feels pretty awkward when you read this in print! But these are probably the most common words people use today. As youth in Christ it is a challenge to continue living in the world but not of the world. There are people who think it does not matter what we speak and on the other hand there are people who know it matters but still use these words just to be identified along with the group. But do we really want to be friends of the world and enemies of God? Or do we want it to be the vice versa?
One place I have miserably failed and I still struggle is my words. Words good or bad have wings and fly very far. They can never be taken back. If one can control one's words, then I think one has climbed up a step towards Christ likeness. After our heart I think it is our tongue that is not easy to control. It is amazing to read in the Bible the power God has bestowed upon us as His children and so will our words be too. So how much more prudent do we need to be with our words?
The first book that comes to mind when we talk about taming our tongues is James. I am sure each of us would have read it atleast once. If not I would encourage you all to read the book of James, Chapter 3. That chapter throws a challenge saying the tongue can be tamed by no man, it is an unruly evil and a deadly poison – James 3:8. How can blessing and curse flow from the same mouth? James 3:10. If we sit back and think, we will know how much we need to improve on our words. Our words can be a blessing to many and it can also be a curse as well. What will it eventually be is in our hands and our control. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self control and controlling our tongues is one attribute of self control. One of my colleagues was sharing the other day, “Do you know that if man can control his anger, he is almost equivalent to God?” Well I would not agree completely but certainly there is an element of truth in it. When we swear or curse someone it usually stems from anger. And anger is originated in the heart. Eventually what is in the heart comes out of our mouth.
A.W Tozer says "Dispositional sins are fully injurious to the Christian cause as the most overt acts of wickedness.Lets us list a few of them: sensitiveness, irritability,churlishness,faultfinding, peevishness, temper, resentfulness, cruelty, uncharitable attitudes, and of course there are many more. Many persons who had been secretly longing to find Christ have been turned away and embittered by manifestations of ugly dispositional flaws in the lives of the very persons who were trying to win them. Unsaintly saints are the tragedy of Christianity.
I am afraid we modern Christians are long on talk and short on conduct. We use the language of power but our deeds are the deeds of weakness. We settle for words in religion because deeds are too costly. It is easier to pray,"Lord, help me to carry my cross daily" than to pick up the cross and carry it; but since the mere request for help to do something we do not actually intend to do has a certain degree of religious comfort, we are content with repetition of the words"
I will stop here and will leave you with this thought of coming closer to God by purifying ourselves from the sin that besets us.
"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." - Jam 1:26
I know it feels pretty awkward when you read this in print! But these are probably the most common words people use today. As youth in Christ it is a challenge to continue living in the world but not of the world. There are people who think it does not matter what we speak and on the other hand there are people who know it matters but still use these words just to be identified along with the group. But do we really want to be friends of the world and enemies of God? Or do we want it to be the vice versa?
One place I have miserably failed and I still struggle is my words. Words good or bad have wings and fly very far. They can never be taken back. If one can control one's words, then I think one has climbed up a step towards Christ likeness. After our heart I think it is our tongue that is not easy to control. It is amazing to read in the Bible the power God has bestowed upon us as His children and so will our words be too. So how much more prudent do we need to be with our words?
The first book that comes to mind when we talk about taming our tongues is James. I am sure each of us would have read it atleast once. If not I would encourage you all to read the book of James, Chapter 3. That chapter throws a challenge saying the tongue can be tamed by no man, it is an unruly evil and a deadly poison – James 3:8. How can blessing and curse flow from the same mouth? James 3:10. If we sit back and think, we will know how much we need to improve on our words. Our words can be a blessing to many and it can also be a curse as well. What will it eventually be is in our hands and our control. One of the fruit of the Spirit is self control and controlling our tongues is one attribute of self control. One of my colleagues was sharing the other day, “Do you know that if man can control his anger, he is almost equivalent to God?” Well I would not agree completely but certainly there is an element of truth in it. When we swear or curse someone it usually stems from anger. And anger is originated in the heart. Eventually what is in the heart comes out of our mouth.
A.W Tozer says "Dispositional sins are fully injurious to the Christian cause as the most overt acts of wickedness.Lets us list a few of them: sensitiveness, irritability,churlishness,faultfinding, peevishness, temper, resentfulness, cruelty, uncharitable attitudes, and of course there are many more. Many persons who had been secretly longing to find Christ have been turned away and embittered by manifestations of ugly dispositional flaws in the lives of the very persons who were trying to win them. Unsaintly saints are the tragedy of Christianity.
I am afraid we modern Christians are long on talk and short on conduct. We use the language of power but our deeds are the deeds of weakness. We settle for words in religion because deeds are too costly. It is easier to pray,"Lord, help me to carry my cross daily" than to pick up the cross and carry it; but since the mere request for help to do something we do not actually intend to do has a certain degree of religious comfort, we are content with repetition of the words"
I will stop here and will leave you with this thought of coming closer to God by purifying ourselves from the sin that besets us.
" For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” - Matt 12: 34b-37
"Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips." - Prov 4:24
"and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." - Tit 2:8"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." - Jam 1:26
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”- I Jn 2:15
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