As Jesus followers we are called into the Kingdom Life. This blog will help us converse and learn what that means. It will contain thoughts on Scripture, Sermon Reflection, Leadership Training and interesting reads. -Pastor Jeff

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Verbal Safety Measures

Read James 3:2-12
"We all stumble in many ways.  If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check."

I can't start my Weed Eater by accident.  In fact, I can't really start any of my dangerous tools by accident.  They all have safety measures to prevent me from wounding myself, which if you've ever seen me around tools is probably a good thing.  Whether it's my table saw, circular saw, chain saw, etc., I have to make a conscious decision and take deliberate action to get these items started.  With my Weed Eater, there's a button you have to hold in order to pull the trigger, at the same time you are adjusting the choke and priming the gas...and pulling the cord.  It's really quite an event just to get the contraption going.  I can appreciate that.  The manufacturers have done the best they can to minimize the probability that I will injure myself or others around me by the unintentional use (or misuse) of dangerous tools.

I just wish someone could put safety measures like that on my mouth.

Don't you?

Just like a circular saw or a Weed Eater, our mouths can be dangerous tools.  Yet, they are easy to get going.  In fact, most of us are prone to "running off at the mouth."  We aren't nearly as deliberate as we are with a chain saw.  We simply say what we are thinking, when we are thinking it, often lacking the forethought to consider how the use (or misuse) of our mouths will wound those around us.

In today's Scripture, James writes about the issues surrounding how we use our mouths.  James seems to be suggesting that we do more damage with what we say than nearly any other part of our lives.  Our tongues deploy the weapons of sarcasm, condescension, insults, deceit, betrayal, gossip, prejudice, hate, bullying, and manipulation.  We keep a range of options always at our disposal.  We are armed to dismantle, abuse, destroy, demean and diminish, whenever our emotions get the best of us.  We often speak first and consider the consequences later.  The result...we regularly live in regret having said things we wished we could take back.  We damage relationships.  We leave the wrong impression in the minds of those that hear us spouting off.

Wouldn't it be great if there were safety measures for our mouths?

Good news...there is!  That safety measure is called the Holy Spirit.  When God's Spirit invades our lives, the Spirit becomes in us our early warning system, warning us that what we are about say might not be faithful and could do a lot of damage.  I mean...if we pay attention to the Spirit.  See, that's key.  We have to learn how submit and surrender more and more of our lives to the Spirit.  We begin to grow by asking God to bring all our actions, our attitudes, and our words under the leadership of the Spirit.  God begins to cultivate in us self-control and patience.  God helps us to weigh our words in light of the damage they might cause.  Understand, this doesn't mean we don't speak "truth" (hard words at times).  It just means that through the Spirit we learn to speak truth in love.

As we surrender to God's Spirit, our mouths are transformed from dangerous weapons to God's tool of blessing to others.  Wouldn't that be nice?  Then we do a lot less apologizing!

Reflecting
1.)  What are some of the dangerous ways that you use your mouth?

2.)  Would the people around you say that you speak in ways that harm or bless?  What about those closest to you?

I challenge you to pray a prayer today asking God to help you bring your words and speech under the leadership of God's Holy Spirit.

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