Well, it is our last day together on the tongue. For any of you who missed my post on Saturday about my own “incident”, I am going to recount the whole sordid thing again. I figure this will teach the entire lesson on what our speech SHOULD NOT be. Nothing like learning it before you teach it. Here goes:
I’m going to embarassingly (I know, not a real word!) tell on myself. Just last week I commented on a blog post from a blog that I visit regularly. I will not incur any more shame by telling you which blog it was however, I got REALLY fired up about what was being said because it seemed to be mocking the word of God. Now, I am definitely a passionate person and therefore it doesn’t take much to get me fired up but I am fiercely defensive of God’s word! (Lesson number one: God’s word needs no defense, it speaks for itself!) Anyway, I posted a comment in great haste, violating the command for a timely response AND it was pretty nasty! I crossed over from using my words to edify into slander and complete condemnation - in print, mind you! Yes, out there with my name on it for the WHOLE world to see. Well, the person that responded to my comment did so with such grace and civility that I looked like even more of a complete fool than before (if that was possible!). To make things worse, they give other readers the ability to “like” or “dislike” each comment and I was racking up the “dislikes” big time. I was actively looking for a hole to crawl into, quickly! It felt like something etched into the bathroom stall in high school for all the generations to come! I was convicted, embarrassed, mortified and Kraig even agreed, “this one was a doozy!” I had just finished up my neat and tidy five-day devotional study on the tongue...yes, I said the tongue and I had fallen flat on my face in an effort to retain one iota of what I had studied!!
I quickly hit the floor in repentance and then asked God to give me some very appropriate words to admit my sin, to the whole blog world! Humble pie is not so tasty to the flesh but it is soothing to the soul. Why? Because it was the right thing to do! I hemmed and hawed over that one comment for three days! I beat myself up, swore off the spoken and written word forever and was ready to take down my blog. Kraig was excited at the possibilities...but then he said, “Honey, this is a lesson. You are learning for those you are teaching and just because you are teaching doesn’t mean you are above stumbling...Amen and ah...Amen! Oh, and by the way, next time, sleep on it or at least let someone else read it before you click ‘reply.’” Okay, I got it, believe me I GOT IT! I had just taught myself this entire series of lessons in one fell swoop! So, lest you think there will be a time when words won’t be an issue, think again!
I guess the point I want to drive home is this: When we start to stray from the facts and start to attack someone’s character we have crossed the line into sin. If I had stayed with the facts at hand, presented scripture and let it speak for itself I would have saved myself alot of trouble. It says in Ephesians 4:31-32a, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice and be KIND one to another!” I was not kind and I had slandered with anger the character of a person I did not know who is made in the image of God. I was wrong! Lesson painfully learned! So, I want you to know that I have learned these lessons in writing them and very recently, in living them. And lastly, I want to add, I finally feel that my blog name is totally correct, I am “growing in grace” and it is DEFINITELY one inch at a time!!!
Well, there you have it! So, I will quickly list out the things that our speech should be free from and give you several references to wrap up. Here goes, our speech should be free from: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, malice, flattery, course jesting and anything that is unspiritual, unfitting, unkind, insensitive, unwholesome, idle, degrading, untruthful (lies), unloving and deceitful (Eph. 4:29-31; Col. 4:6; Eph 5:15; Prov. 25:1; John 12:49-50). This list is by no means exhaustive and you can certainly find many great, pithy sayings about the tongue in the book of Proverbs. Nearly every chapter has at least one reference to the tongue and most have multiple scriptures about the mouth.
I hope you have enjoyed the study. I know at times it has been long but I hope you have learned something. I hope that you will walk away from this with a greater understanding of what our talk should look like as women of God. Communicating is so important to us, even genetically predetermined for those of us with XX chromosomes. Let’s purpose in our hearts to be wise with our words and affect our world and the people around us for good when we speak! I know if I’m going to ever have to eat my words, I want them to taste good going down, don’t you?
Friday, February 25, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Four)
Okay, ladies, we have covered a lot of ground in the first few days of study about the tongue. I think this might be one that I read and reread to keep myself in check! I will say it has definitely taught me alot that I didn’t know. To recap where we have been, Monday we looked at the origin of the spoken word and its power. Tuesday we discovered the definition of the tongue and its ability to be as sharp as knives that wound or soothing to someone’s spirit. Wednesday we learned that our words are connected to the state of our hearts and are indicators of our spiritual “fruit bearing.”
So, let’s bring this thing full circle. When should we speak and what should we say? In other words, what does good fruit sound like? Today we will address what our speech should be then tomorrow we will wrap up with what our speech shouldn’t be. We will take our study today from Ephesians 4:29,“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”
First, our words should be timely (according to the need of the moment). “A woman has joy in an apt answer and how delightful is a timely word” (Prov. 15:23). “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Prov. 15:28). Sometimes the right answer is not right away. Have you ever said something and then realized it just wasn’t the right time? There are times when we can give a helpful, edifying word but if it is at the improper moment it can fall on deaf ears. Often, it is wise of us to test the suitability of the listener to hear the word we have to say. For example, when someone is upset or distraught over something they may not be at a point to receive anything. It may take wisdom on our parts to understand that listening first and talking later is the best choice. In my marriage, with my children and at times with friends I have to wait in order to be heard. This is not something that comes naturally for most of us. It is difficult to restrain myself when I have something I want to say but listen to the mental imagery of the latter part of verse 28: “the mouth of the wicked POURS OUT evil things.” How many times have I crossed the line from a disagreement to a full blown argument because I have “poured out” words without restraint? I could write a book, a series of books on this one! So, the word instructs us to PONDER, pour over instead of pour out, how we should respond. Lastly, a timely answer brings joy and delight! You know, if I’m going to take the time to say it, I want it to be received but not only that, received with joy and delight. The hearer is much more likely to heed or take in what I am saying if they receive it with joy or delight!
Second, our words are to be healing or edifying (but only such a word as is good for edification). “A healing (soothing) tongue is a tree of life” (Prov. 15:4). The term healing here gives us the picture of our words being like medicine to a wound. Think about how cool water feels on a burn or salve to a cut. The term “tree of life” is a metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment. We can renew and refresh the spirit of others when we speak soothing words. The other word here is edifying. We hear that word alot but aren’t always sure what it means. The word “edify” means “to build or lift up”. Pretty simple. We are using the power of our words for good when we build and lift people up with them rather than tearing down. AKA, no slander!
Third, our speech is to be full of grace. “Let your speech always be with grace..so that it may gives grace to those who hear” (Col 4:6a, Eph 4:29). The word grace comes from the word “charis” and is defined as “that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight or causes favorable regard.” This is pretty self-explanatory. Our speech ought to bestow pleasure, delight and cause someone to regard us in a favorable light when we talk. We can all think of someone that has the ability to say the right thing in all situations. Think about how you would characterize their speech. I bet you would say that they use their words to bestow pleasure and delight rather than pain and ruin! Enough said..no pun intended.
Fourth, our speech is to be seasoned with salt. “Let your speech always be with grace as seasoned with salt that you will know how to respond to each person” (Col 4:6). I want to focus briefly here on the purposes of salt. Salt can be used for many things. It can be used as a flavor-enhancer. It can be used as a preservative. It can heal a wound. Let’s bridge the gap from its uses to how that looks in our conversations. First, there is taste or flavor, seasoning that keeps things from being bland. Sometimes our speech can add some good “flavor” to the lives of those around us. Think humor. Think storytelling (not gossip) but just a good, true story! Second, it can preserve. Sometimes our words are used to confront (in love), instruct, guide, help and caution. This helps to preserve or protect others. As women, we have to be VERY careful that our words don’t get too salty in this area! We should approach with humility and love when we are seeking to confront, instruct, guide, help or caution! Lastly, it can heal. How many times have you had a sore throat or some kind of oral surgery, even losing a tooth where you have been instructed to rinse with salt water. Why? Not to make you gag, although that is a nice bonus but because salt has healing properties. I don’t know about you but I want my words to bring healing to those who hear.
Fifth, our speech is to be wholesome. I can make this short and sweet. Wholesome means “devoid of decay” or “the opposite of something that is putrid or rotten.” In other words, foul as in foul language. I have heard two things that have stuck with me for many years and I find them to be true over and over again. First, people use profanity out of ignorance because they can’t think of anything more intelligent to say. Second, there is nothing more unfeminine and unladylike than a foul mouth! I think of a beautiful woman with every hair in place, makeup on, pretty smile and then she lets a string of words go that would make a sailor blush. Something about that just makes her look plain rotten. The bottom line, it isn’t necessary! There are so many other words that can be used besides the five or six that are undoubtedly unwholesome!
So, let’s bring this thing full circle. When should we speak and what should we say? In other words, what does good fruit sound like? Today we will address what our speech should be then tomorrow we will wrap up with what our speech shouldn’t be. We will take our study today from Ephesians 4:29,“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”
First, our words should be timely (according to the need of the moment). “A woman has joy in an apt answer and how delightful is a timely word” (Prov. 15:23). “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Prov. 15:28). Sometimes the right answer is not right away. Have you ever said something and then realized it just wasn’t the right time? There are times when we can give a helpful, edifying word but if it is at the improper moment it can fall on deaf ears. Often, it is wise of us to test the suitability of the listener to hear the word we have to say. For example, when someone is upset or distraught over something they may not be at a point to receive anything. It may take wisdom on our parts to understand that listening first and talking later is the best choice. In my marriage, with my children and at times with friends I have to wait in order to be heard. This is not something that comes naturally for most of us. It is difficult to restrain myself when I have something I want to say but listen to the mental imagery of the latter part of verse 28: “the mouth of the wicked POURS OUT evil things.” How many times have I crossed the line from a disagreement to a full blown argument because I have “poured out” words without restraint? I could write a book, a series of books on this one! So, the word instructs us to PONDER, pour over instead of pour out, how we should respond. Lastly, a timely answer brings joy and delight! You know, if I’m going to take the time to say it, I want it to be received but not only that, received with joy and delight. The hearer is much more likely to heed or take in what I am saying if they receive it with joy or delight!
Second, our words are to be healing or edifying (but only such a word as is good for edification). “A healing (soothing) tongue is a tree of life” (Prov. 15:4). The term healing here gives us the picture of our words being like medicine to a wound. Think about how cool water feels on a burn or salve to a cut. The term “tree of life” is a metaphor referring to temporal and spiritual renewal and refreshment. We can renew and refresh the spirit of others when we speak soothing words. The other word here is edifying. We hear that word alot but aren’t always sure what it means. The word “edify” means “to build or lift up”. Pretty simple. We are using the power of our words for good when we build and lift people up with them rather than tearing down. AKA, no slander!
Third, our speech is to be full of grace. “Let your speech always be with grace..so that it may gives grace to those who hear” (Col 4:6a, Eph 4:29). The word grace comes from the word “charis” and is defined as “that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight or causes favorable regard.” This is pretty self-explanatory. Our speech ought to bestow pleasure, delight and cause someone to regard us in a favorable light when we talk. We can all think of someone that has the ability to say the right thing in all situations. Think about how you would characterize their speech. I bet you would say that they use their words to bestow pleasure and delight rather than pain and ruin! Enough said..no pun intended.
Fourth, our speech is to be seasoned with salt. “Let your speech always be with grace as seasoned with salt that you will know how to respond to each person” (Col 4:6). I want to focus briefly here on the purposes of salt. Salt can be used for many things. It can be used as a flavor-enhancer. It can be used as a preservative. It can heal a wound. Let’s bridge the gap from its uses to how that looks in our conversations. First, there is taste or flavor, seasoning that keeps things from being bland. Sometimes our speech can add some good “flavor” to the lives of those around us. Think humor. Think storytelling (not gossip) but just a good, true story! Second, it can preserve. Sometimes our words are used to confront (in love), instruct, guide, help and caution. This helps to preserve or protect others. As women, we have to be VERY careful that our words don’t get too salty in this area! We should approach with humility and love when we are seeking to confront, instruct, guide, help or caution! Lastly, it can heal. How many times have you had a sore throat or some kind of oral surgery, even losing a tooth where you have been instructed to rinse with salt water. Why? Not to make you gag, although that is a nice bonus but because salt has healing properties. I don’t know about you but I want my words to bring healing to those who hear.
Fifth, our speech is to be wholesome. I can make this short and sweet. Wholesome means “devoid of decay” or “the opposite of something that is putrid or rotten.” In other words, foul as in foul language. I have heard two things that have stuck with me for many years and I find them to be true over and over again. First, people use profanity out of ignorance because they can’t think of anything more intelligent to say. Second, there is nothing more unfeminine and unladylike than a foul mouth! I think of a beautiful woman with every hair in place, makeup on, pretty smile and then she lets a string of words go that would make a sailor blush. Something about that just makes her look plain rotten. The bottom line, it isn’t necessary! There are so many other words that can be used besides the five or six that are undoubtedly unwholesome!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Three)
When my oldest was born the very first time he cried (in the south we sometimes say “squalled” as in “he was squallin’ his head off) which was almost immediately after he took his first good breath of air, we noticed that there was a little sliver of skin that attached the end of his tongue to the bottom of his mouth. The doctor promptly informed us he was tongue-tied. He assured us this was not a problem and as long as it didn’t affect his speech or his ability to eat then he could remain that way otherwise we could have it clipped. Well, as a first time mother I was in no hurry to cause my child any undue pain and suffering so we decided to wait it out. Eleven years later I can report with certainty that it has neither affected his speech or his ability to eat! Just like he had a connection that couldn’t be severed without some kind of intervention, we also have a connection between our hearts and our mouths that is in need of an intervention!
Yesterday, we looked at the biblical definition for the word “tongue” and discovered that it means language or speech. We also discovered that the power of our tongue or speech can be used for good or evil. Let’s venture back to scripture and pick up where we left off in Genesis 11:1-9. If you aren’t familiar with the story of the tower of Babel or even if you are, take a minute to read this passage again. Do you see in verse one it says that the whole earth used the same language and the same words? Up to this point everyone was “uni-lingual”, that’s fancy for saying they all spoke the same language, no language barrier here. So, the people used their powers of communication to make a plan to build a tower so tall that they would be known for their abilities. In other words, they would seek to usurp God’s glory and take it for themselves! We aren’t even eleven chapters into the first book of the Bible and we are already using our words to try and make a name for ourselves and we have been doing it ever since! Do you see how the power of the tongue, mixed with our sin is a toxic combination?
Let me take a minute here to encourage each of you to take an inventory of your speech as a whole. I find myself doing this more and more often especially after I have had a conversation where I have done most of the talking instead of listening. I know the truth that “where there are many words sin is unavoidable” (Prov. 10:19). So, I try to retrace when I could have listened, what wasn’t necessary for me to say and Lord help me, what I shouldn’t have said. The more I do that in my own life, the more I become “swift to hear and slow to speak” (James 1: 19)! I realize I could avoid a lot of trespass by just shutting up! One thing that I try to remind myself of often, “just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to say it.” Just because I have something to contribute to the conversation doesn’t mean I should. I’m not talking about “if you can’t say anything nice”, I’m just talking about the need to be heard. There is humility in realizing maybe what you have to say really isn’t that important! Why? Because of one verse that ruminates in my head regularly, “I tell you on the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they speak” (Matt. 12:36). The word “idle” can also be translated careless or empty, UNFRUITFUL. Every one of us will stand before the Lord and give an account for our very words! When I think of all the words I have spoken, I know I will be there a VERY, VERY long time and I will have no excuse for all of the careless, empty, idle words I have spoken over a lifetime. Scripture says, “It is to your Father’s glory that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8). There is no qualifier there so I can bear fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in word OR in deed BUT I can also be unfruitful in word or in deed! The link is easily made that it is NOT to our Father’s glory when we don’t bear fruit with our words.
You may be wondering, what’s the big deal in just a little meaningless talk here and there? I mean, goodness knows, I’ve whiled away hours talking about little less than nothing with my best friend since I was 10 years old! The danger is not the length, although we have discovered that more words increase the probability of sin. The danger is in the nature of the conversation. Lengthy conversations tend to digress in benefit and increase in futility. Remember the connection I talked about in the beginning between our hearts and our mouths? Here’s the connecting analogy (hang in there with me): good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit! On occasion a good tree will produce some bad fruit but not as a rule! It is an accurate indicator of the state of our hearts when we cannot control our tongues and when we spew venom with our lips! “Out of the treasure of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). I am going to paraphrase James 3:9-12: Blessing and cursing can’t come from the same mouth just like a spring of water cannot bring forth fresh and salty water at the same time. An apple tree brings forth apples not figs! The lesson? Like produces like! So, whatever resides in your heart is what comes out in your speech that is why it says in Matthew 7:16 “you will know them (believers and unbelievers) by their fruit! Oh, the importance of examining our lives, speech included, to see if we are truly believers. Wow! Don’t you just love how God’s word affirms itself over and over?
I would be remiss if I did not give a clear message for the necessity of a change of heart in order to precipitate a change in speech. If we are trying to apply all of these truths to our lives on our own, we may succeed for a time but in the long run we will always come up short. The only permanent change for our hearts is the cleansing that comes from faith in Jesus alone by grace alone. The scripture is clear that our hearts are “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” which doesn’t make for a good outcome for us! Every single one of us has “sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and we are required to pay for that sin with our death because the “wages (payment,price) of sin is death.” This is a fatal wound that leaves us dead in our sins and unable to bring life to ourselves. Can one bring life to himself after he is dead? So, we are dead and unable to pay the price to buy back our lives from the grips of sin and hell. But God...don’t you love that statement...BUT GOD intervened! “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8). What a glorious truth! The payment is made, we are justified by the blood of Christ and then we are given a new heart and the gift of the Holy Spirit which in turn makes us alive! From death to life, from an evil heart to a heart of love, from words that wound to words that heal! I will close today with Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Yesterday, we looked at the biblical definition for the word “tongue” and discovered that it means language or speech. We also discovered that the power of our tongue or speech can be used for good or evil. Let’s venture back to scripture and pick up where we left off in Genesis 11:1-9. If you aren’t familiar with the story of the tower of Babel or even if you are, take a minute to read this passage again. Do you see in verse one it says that the whole earth used the same language and the same words? Up to this point everyone was “uni-lingual”, that’s fancy for saying they all spoke the same language, no language barrier here. So, the people used their powers of communication to make a plan to build a tower so tall that they would be known for their abilities. In other words, they would seek to usurp God’s glory and take it for themselves! We aren’t even eleven chapters into the first book of the Bible and we are already using our words to try and make a name for ourselves and we have been doing it ever since! Do you see how the power of the tongue, mixed with our sin is a toxic combination?
Let me take a minute here to encourage each of you to take an inventory of your speech as a whole. I find myself doing this more and more often especially after I have had a conversation where I have done most of the talking instead of listening. I know the truth that “where there are many words sin is unavoidable” (Prov. 10:19). So, I try to retrace when I could have listened, what wasn’t necessary for me to say and Lord help me, what I shouldn’t have said. The more I do that in my own life, the more I become “swift to hear and slow to speak” (James 1: 19)! I realize I could avoid a lot of trespass by just shutting up! One thing that I try to remind myself of often, “just because you think it, doesn’t mean you have to say it.” Just because I have something to contribute to the conversation doesn’t mean I should. I’m not talking about “if you can’t say anything nice”, I’m just talking about the need to be heard. There is humility in realizing maybe what you have to say really isn’t that important! Why? Because of one verse that ruminates in my head regularly, “I tell you on the day of judgment people will give an account for every idle word they speak” (Matt. 12:36). The word “idle” can also be translated careless or empty, UNFRUITFUL. Every one of us will stand before the Lord and give an account for our very words! When I think of all the words I have spoken, I know I will be there a VERY, VERY long time and I will have no excuse for all of the careless, empty, idle words I have spoken over a lifetime. Scripture says, “It is to your Father’s glory that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8). There is no qualifier there so I can bear fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in word OR in deed BUT I can also be unfruitful in word or in deed! The link is easily made that it is NOT to our Father’s glory when we don’t bear fruit with our words.
You may be wondering, what’s the big deal in just a little meaningless talk here and there? I mean, goodness knows, I’ve whiled away hours talking about little less than nothing with my best friend since I was 10 years old! The danger is not the length, although we have discovered that more words increase the probability of sin. The danger is in the nature of the conversation. Lengthy conversations tend to digress in benefit and increase in futility. Remember the connection I talked about in the beginning between our hearts and our mouths? Here’s the connecting analogy (hang in there with me): good trees bear good fruit and bad trees bear bad fruit! On occasion a good tree will produce some bad fruit but not as a rule! It is an accurate indicator of the state of our hearts when we cannot control our tongues and when we spew venom with our lips! “Out of the treasure of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). I am going to paraphrase James 3:9-12: Blessing and cursing can’t come from the same mouth just like a spring of water cannot bring forth fresh and salty water at the same time. An apple tree brings forth apples not figs! The lesson? Like produces like! So, whatever resides in your heart is what comes out in your speech that is why it says in Matthew 7:16 “you will know them (believers and unbelievers) by their fruit! Oh, the importance of examining our lives, speech included, to see if we are truly believers. Wow! Don’t you just love how God’s word affirms itself over and over?
I would be remiss if I did not give a clear message for the necessity of a change of heart in order to precipitate a change in speech. If we are trying to apply all of these truths to our lives on our own, we may succeed for a time but in the long run we will always come up short. The only permanent change for our hearts is the cleansing that comes from faith in Jesus alone by grace alone. The scripture is clear that our hearts are “deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” which doesn’t make for a good outcome for us! Every single one of us has “sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” and we are required to pay for that sin with our death because the “wages (payment,price) of sin is death.” This is a fatal wound that leaves us dead in our sins and unable to bring life to ourselves. Can one bring life to himself after he is dead? So, we are dead and unable to pay the price to buy back our lives from the grips of sin and hell. But God...don’t you love that statement...BUT GOD intervened! “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8). What a glorious truth! The payment is made, we are justified by the blood of Christ and then we are given a new heart and the gift of the Holy Spirit which in turn makes us alive! From death to life, from an evil heart to a heart of love, from words that wound to words that heal! I will close today with Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day Two)
I have always been fascinated by people who can touch their nose with their tongues! My husband and daughter can do this and we have appropriately named them “lizard tongue”. I also have a complex because not only can I not touch my nose with my tongue (not like this is a talent to be coveted) but I also can not roll my tongue hence the reason I took Latin instead of Spanish. I have given my children many a laugh trying to roll my r’s without spitting all over the place. I am determined to learn this trick before I die so, many times in the privacy of my car as I’m driving to and from carpool I will practice. Not at stoplights lest someone think me an idiot but if you happen to check me out in the rearview mirror it could be a good laugh!
Although we can do many things with our tongues from eating to touching our noses, primarily they are used for speech. We discovered yesterday that our tongues are powerful for good or evil. Before we proceed into the study of good speech versus bad speech we need to see how the “tongue” is used in scripture. This is establishing context for us.
After tracing back to the first spoken word, the next thing I did in my research was go straight to “Vine’s Bible Dictionary” to retrieve the most accurate biblical rendering of the word “tongue”. Since we are using the truth of scripture to intercede and take over our mouths a regular Webster’s won’t work. Why? You may or may not know that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Well, since most of us don’t know or speak either one, hence the phrase, “It’s all Greek to me,” people have spent many years translating the Hebrew and Greek into English. From there, people have spent many more years translating the English into varying translations within our language. Some people are loyal to one particular translation whereas others are happy to study more than one, sometimes at once, which is called a “Parallel Bible” or confusing! However, the English language, as wordy as it is, does not come close to containing all of the specific words needed to describe the more detailed Hebrew and Greek languages. For example, when we use the word “love” we can mean anything that we have an affection for, from chocolate to shoes, I happen to LOVE both. We can also say we love our spouses (depending on the day of the month and his attentiveness meter), our hair (again depending on the day of the month and its obedience to the “iron of choice” that day) and any other person, place or thing that would not fall under the category of repulsive or loathsome. So, you can see the issue. We “love” just about everything. However, when the Bible was written there were multiple words that could be translated today as “love” depending on who, what and how you were talking about it. I’ll spare you the many definitions but if you get a chance sometime you should check out “love” in Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible”.
In looking up “tongue” it comes from the Hebrew word “lashon” (sounds a little like “lash on”) and is defined as language or speech. This is probably where we get the phrases “lash out” or “tongue lashing” when we talk about someone who is on a verbal tirade. Interestingly enough, “tongue” is bookended between “tomorrow” and “torment”. Initially, that struck me as funny but then I thought, how poignant because when we speak, words are written in ink not pencil and they can continue to torment tomorrow and many days after. Which brings us to our second point about the tongue: our words are a matter of life and death. It says in Proverbs 18:21, “the power of life and death are in the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.” A few chapters before that in Proverbs 12:18 it says, “the words of the reckless pierce like swords but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Our words have the power of life and death behind them. It would only take a minute for many of you to think of one, just one, comment that a parent, friend or spouse said to you that you will never forget, good or bad. Indelibly printed into our minds, forever. For me, those statements are so seared into my brain that I can even remember many details about my surroundings when they were spoken. However, I can also remember, just as vividly, times when I said something to someone that brought life or death. Once those words left my lips there was no taking them back and no amount of apology would suffice for the hurt they caused!
“Even so the tongue is a little member (of our bodies) that boasts great things; but no woman can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison!” (James 3:5,8) The thing that God gave us to praise Him, to communicate with one another for encouragement, healing and exhortation we have turned into a deadly weapon. How do we progress from here? How do we move forward in being WISE with our tongues? How do we become life-givers instead of women who slay others with our words? That’s enough to make you not want to say another word but thankfully God has given us instruction through His word on how and when we ought to speak. The rest of this week will address these questions.
Although we can do many things with our tongues from eating to touching our noses, primarily they are used for speech. We discovered yesterday that our tongues are powerful for good or evil. Before we proceed into the study of good speech versus bad speech we need to see how the “tongue” is used in scripture. This is establishing context for us.
After tracing back to the first spoken word, the next thing I did in my research was go straight to “Vine’s Bible Dictionary” to retrieve the most accurate biblical rendering of the word “tongue”. Since we are using the truth of scripture to intercede and take over our mouths a regular Webster’s won’t work. Why? You may or may not know that the Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Well, since most of us don’t know or speak either one, hence the phrase, “It’s all Greek to me,” people have spent many years translating the Hebrew and Greek into English. From there, people have spent many more years translating the English into varying translations within our language. Some people are loyal to one particular translation whereas others are happy to study more than one, sometimes at once, which is called a “Parallel Bible” or confusing! However, the English language, as wordy as it is, does not come close to containing all of the specific words needed to describe the more detailed Hebrew and Greek languages. For example, when we use the word “love” we can mean anything that we have an affection for, from chocolate to shoes, I happen to LOVE both. We can also say we love our spouses (depending on the day of the month and his attentiveness meter), our hair (again depending on the day of the month and its obedience to the “iron of choice” that day) and any other person, place or thing that would not fall under the category of repulsive or loathsome. So, you can see the issue. We “love” just about everything. However, when the Bible was written there were multiple words that could be translated today as “love” depending on who, what and how you were talking about it. I’ll spare you the many definitions but if you get a chance sometime you should check out “love” in Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible”.
In looking up “tongue” it comes from the Hebrew word “lashon” (sounds a little like “lash on”) and is defined as language or speech. This is probably where we get the phrases “lash out” or “tongue lashing” when we talk about someone who is on a verbal tirade. Interestingly enough, “tongue” is bookended between “tomorrow” and “torment”. Initially, that struck me as funny but then I thought, how poignant because when we speak, words are written in ink not pencil and they can continue to torment tomorrow and many days after. Which brings us to our second point about the tongue: our words are a matter of life and death. It says in Proverbs 18:21, “the power of life and death are in the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.” A few chapters before that in Proverbs 12:18 it says, “the words of the reckless pierce like swords but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Our words have the power of life and death behind them. It would only take a minute for many of you to think of one, just one, comment that a parent, friend or spouse said to you that you will never forget, good or bad. Indelibly printed into our minds, forever. For me, those statements are so seared into my brain that I can even remember many details about my surroundings when they were spoken. However, I can also remember, just as vividly, times when I said something to someone that brought life or death. Once those words left my lips there was no taking them back and no amount of apology would suffice for the hurt they caused!
“Even so the tongue is a little member (of our bodies) that boasts great things; but no woman can tame the tongue, it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison!” (James 3:5,8) The thing that God gave us to praise Him, to communicate with one another for encouragement, healing and exhortation we have turned into a deadly weapon. How do we progress from here? How do we move forward in being WISE with our tongues? How do we become life-givers instead of women who slay others with our words? That’s enough to make you not want to say another word but thankfully God has given us instruction through His word on how and when we ought to speak. The rest of this week will address these questions.
Monday, February 21, 2011
And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (The Tongue - Day One)
Few things are as universal to us as women like speech or more specifically the enjoyment of the “gift of gab”. Thanks to modern day technology, between the telephone, texting, tweeting, email and Facebook we can successfully be involved in constant conversation from the time our feet hit the floor in the morning until our heads hit the pillow at night! We just love to talk about anything, everything and nothing at all! My eight year old proves this genetically predisposed fact every morning. From the time her feet hit the floor she is talking. There are times when she will be talking while I am cooking dinner and I will drift off into thought only to come back to and find her STILL talking. As long as I offer a sufficient “uh-huh” every few minutes, and sometimes when I don’t, she is content to carry on. It used to be when she was little and took baths that she would ask Kraig to come “sit on the potty” to talk with her while she played in the tub because she didn’t want to be alone! It became a running joke in our house that anytime someone wanted to talk we would say, “Come sit on the potty!” But no one had to teach her this! She was only 3 or 4, just old enough to put sentences together and she wanted to share her thoughts and feelings, her WORDS, with somebody!
From a very young age we wait for babies to say their first words. We even look like speech pathologists mouthing “Mama” and “Dada” to our newborns in hopes they will be verbal over-achievers. Then, it isn’t long before we wish that there was a button we could push that would take “Mama” off the vocabulary list for at least a few hours, especially around age 2 and 3 and 4...11. But truthfully, we long to be able to have our children and others around us express what they are thinking and feeling. Perhaps this is why we get so frustrated at men for not talking because we thrive on communication. So, what do we do with all of this? Our words. When to speak, what to say, how much to say, how to say it. There is wisdom in learning to use our tongues for good and to make the most of every word we say.
It is appropriate for us to see where the first word was spoken and its context. If you go all the way back to Genesis 1:3 we have record of the very first words spoken, “And God SAID, ‘Let there be light.’” So, we see that God was the one who spoke the first words and that His words were very powerful. So powerful in fact that He created the entire universe with the spoken word! This brings us to our first point about words: words are powerful! As the creature, our words are not equal in power with God’s words however, being made in the image of God, we are privileged with the ability to communicate. Initially, our words were ultimately to praise God and communicate with other people but very soon after Genesis 1:3 things started to go awry!
In Genesis 3 God creates Adam and Eve and places them in the garden. Up to this point in scripture, God has spoken to Adam to INSTRUCT him about his responsibilities in the garden and also to WARN him about about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then, in Genesis 3:1 the serpent enters the picture and he SPEAKS to entice Eve and tempt her to sin. Then, she SPEAKS back and it is all over from there! Satan initiated the conversation and she joined in. How different would this encounter have been if there had been no words exchanged? Although we will never know the answer to that question we can clearly see the power of the spoken word. Wow, how this teaches us! Three very important points to take with us from this passage:
1 - We must realize the importance of every conversation, indeed every word. There are some people we don’t need to be having conversations with...calling out “Debbie Downer, Negative Nelly and Scoffing ??” (couldn’t think of a name that goes with that but you get the point). There are some topics we don’t need to be talking about. We have to be wise when choosing the person we go to about certain subjects. Your best friend may not be the best person to talk to about marital issues if she jumps on the bandwagon of “husband bashing” with you! In this case, Eve should have ended the conversation the minute Satan attempted to confuse what God had said.
2 - We must realize the importance of not always being involved in every conversation. Often, we feel that it is necessary to put in our “two cents”. There is a sense of validation that we get from having been heard. The Lord has really dealt with me on this because Proverbs 10:19 says, “where there is a multitude of words, sin is unavoidable. Simply put, the more you say, the more likely you are to say something you shouldn’t! We don’t always have to be heard. Case in point, Eve didn’t have to entertain the conversation, she could have remained silent choosing not to engage the serpent which ultimately led to her vulnerability. It opened up her mind to his scheming.
3 - We must realize the importance of choosing our words carefully and not using them in order to persuade others to sin. There is something inherent in us as women that gives us the ability to persuade others to do what we want them to do. The term coined for this would be “feminine wiles”. Need a mental picture? Think Delilah or Scarlett O’hara! Got it? There is a certain sway that we as women can have over men in general. It usually starts with a little girl and her Daddy. I have had a front row seat to the tugging of my daughter at her Daddy’s heartstrings. She could get just about anything she wanted from him with a word and sometimes it wouldn’t even take that much! From there, we start to see our powers of persuasion over young adolescent boys and it isn’t long before we are as silver-tongued as any snake charmer! Girls, this is flattery and it is sin! The word is very clear about flattery and the use of words for selfish gain. “A flattering mouth works ruin” (Prov. 26:28). We must guard ourselves against using our mouths to persuade people against their will! Eve persuaded her husband, enticed him to sin without a word! She was the instigator and look at the consequences. Thousands of years later we are still reeling from the results of her sin.
As we close out day one of our look at taming the tongue, let’s begin to ask the Lord to make us aware of our words. When we speak, how often we speak, what we say, to whom do we say it etc; If we were limited in what we could say how would it affect our conversations during the day? Let’s commit to bring our tongues under submission of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to be Lord over our mouths to use them for blessing instead of cursing, good instead of evil and building up instead of tearing down.
From a very young age we wait for babies to say their first words. We even look like speech pathologists mouthing “Mama” and “Dada” to our newborns in hopes they will be verbal over-achievers. Then, it isn’t long before we wish that there was a button we could push that would take “Mama” off the vocabulary list for at least a few hours, especially around age 2 and 3 and 4...11. But truthfully, we long to be able to have our children and others around us express what they are thinking and feeling. Perhaps this is why we get so frustrated at men for not talking because we thrive on communication. So, what do we do with all of this? Our words. When to speak, what to say, how much to say, how to say it. There is wisdom in learning to use our tongues for good and to make the most of every word we say.
It is appropriate for us to see where the first word was spoken and its context. If you go all the way back to Genesis 1:3 we have record of the very first words spoken, “And God SAID, ‘Let there be light.’” So, we see that God was the one who spoke the first words and that His words were very powerful. So powerful in fact that He created the entire universe with the spoken word! This brings us to our first point about words: words are powerful! As the creature, our words are not equal in power with God’s words however, being made in the image of God, we are privileged with the ability to communicate. Initially, our words were ultimately to praise God and communicate with other people but very soon after Genesis 1:3 things started to go awry!
In Genesis 3 God creates Adam and Eve and places them in the garden. Up to this point in scripture, God has spoken to Adam to INSTRUCT him about his responsibilities in the garden and also to WARN him about about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then, in Genesis 3:1 the serpent enters the picture and he SPEAKS to entice Eve and tempt her to sin. Then, she SPEAKS back and it is all over from there! Satan initiated the conversation and she joined in. How different would this encounter have been if there had been no words exchanged? Although we will never know the answer to that question we can clearly see the power of the spoken word. Wow, how this teaches us! Three very important points to take with us from this passage:
1 - We must realize the importance of every conversation, indeed every word. There are some people we don’t need to be having conversations with...calling out “Debbie Downer, Negative Nelly and Scoffing ??” (couldn’t think of a name that goes with that but you get the point). There are some topics we don’t need to be talking about. We have to be wise when choosing the person we go to about certain subjects. Your best friend may not be the best person to talk to about marital issues if she jumps on the bandwagon of “husband bashing” with you! In this case, Eve should have ended the conversation the minute Satan attempted to confuse what God had said.
2 - We must realize the importance of not always being involved in every conversation. Often, we feel that it is necessary to put in our “two cents”. There is a sense of validation that we get from having been heard. The Lord has really dealt with me on this because Proverbs 10:19 says, “where there is a multitude of words, sin is unavoidable. Simply put, the more you say, the more likely you are to say something you shouldn’t! We don’t always have to be heard. Case in point, Eve didn’t have to entertain the conversation, she could have remained silent choosing not to engage the serpent which ultimately led to her vulnerability. It opened up her mind to his scheming.
3 - We must realize the importance of choosing our words carefully and not using them in order to persuade others to sin. There is something inherent in us as women that gives us the ability to persuade others to do what we want them to do. The term coined for this would be “feminine wiles”. Need a mental picture? Think Delilah or Scarlett O’hara! Got it? There is a certain sway that we as women can have over men in general. It usually starts with a little girl and her Daddy. I have had a front row seat to the tugging of my daughter at her Daddy’s heartstrings. She could get just about anything she wanted from him with a word and sometimes it wouldn’t even take that much! From there, we start to see our powers of persuasion over young adolescent boys and it isn’t long before we are as silver-tongued as any snake charmer! Girls, this is flattery and it is sin! The word is very clear about flattery and the use of words for selfish gain. “A flattering mouth works ruin” (Prov. 26:28). We must guard ourselves against using our mouths to persuade people against their will! Eve persuaded her husband, enticed him to sin without a word! She was the instigator and look at the consequences. Thousands of years later we are still reeling from the results of her sin.
As we close out day one of our look at taming the tongue, let’s begin to ask the Lord to make us aware of our words. When we speak, how often we speak, what we say, to whom do we say it etc; If we were limited in what we could say how would it affect our conversations during the day? Let’s commit to bring our tongues under submission of the Holy Spirit and ask Him to be Lord over our mouths to use them for blessing instead of cursing, good instead of evil and building up instead of tearing down.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Can you say..."Dull of hearing?"
I’m going to embarassingly (I know, not a real word!) tell on myself. Just last week I commented on a blog post from a blog that I visit regularly. I will not incur any more shame by telling you which blog it was however, I got REALLY fired up about what was being said because it seemed to be mocking the word of God. Now, I am definitely a passionate person and therefore it doesn’t take much to get me fired up but I am fiercely defensive of God’s word! (Lesson number one: God’s word needs no defense, it speaks for itself!) Anyway, I posted a comment in great haste, violating the command for a timely response AND it was pretty nasty! I crossed over from using my words to edify into slander and complete condemnation - in print, mind you! Yes, out there with my name on it for the WHOLE world to see. Well, the person that responded to my comment did so with such grace and civility that I looked like even more of a complete fool than before (if that was possible!). To make things worse, they give other readers the ability to “like” or “dislike” each comment and I was racking up the “dislikes” big time. I was actively looking for a hole to crawl into, quickly! It felt like something etched into the bathroom stall in high school for all the generations to come! I was convicted, embarrassed, mortified and Kraig even agreed, “this one was a doozy!” I had just finished up my neat and tidy five-day devotional study on the tongue...yes, I said the tongue and I had fallen flat on my face in an effort to retain one iota of what I had studied!!
I quickly hit the floor in repentance and then asked God to give me some very appropriate words to admit my sin, to the whole blog world! Humble pie is not so tasty to the flesh but it is soothing to the soul. Why? Because it was the right thing to do! I hemmed and hawed over that one comment for three days! I beat myself up, swore off the spoken and written word forever and was ready to take down my blog. Kraig was excited at the possibilities...but then he said, “Honey, this is a lesson. You are learning for those you are teaching and just because you are teaching doesn’t mean you are above stumbling...Amen and ah...Amen! Oh, and by the way, next time, sleep on it or at least let someone else read it before you click ‘reply.’” Okay, I got it, believe me I GOT IT! I had just taught myself this entire series of lessons in one fell swoop! So, lest you think there will be a time when words won’t be an issue, think again!
I guess the point I want to drive home is this: When we start to stray from the facts and start to attack someone’s character we have crossed the line into sin. If I had stayed with the facts at hand, presented scripture and let it speak for itself I would have saved myself alot of trouble. It says in Ephesians 4:31-32a, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice and be KIND one to another!” I was not kind and I had slandered with anger the character of a person I did not know, who is also made in the image of God. I was wrong! Lesson painfully learned! So, I want you to know that I have learned these lessons in writing them and very recently, in living them. And lastly, I want to add, I finally feel that my blog name is totally correct, I am “growing in grace” and it is DEFINITELY one inch at a time!!!
I quickly hit the floor in repentance and then asked God to give me some very appropriate words to admit my sin, to the whole blog world! Humble pie is not so tasty to the flesh but it is soothing to the soul. Why? Because it was the right thing to do! I hemmed and hawed over that one comment for three days! I beat myself up, swore off the spoken and written word forever and was ready to take down my blog. Kraig was excited at the possibilities...but then he said, “Honey, this is a lesson. You are learning for those you are teaching and just because you are teaching doesn’t mean you are above stumbling...Amen and ah...Amen! Oh, and by the way, next time, sleep on it or at least let someone else read it before you click ‘reply.’” Okay, I got it, believe me I GOT IT! I had just taught myself this entire series of lessons in one fell swoop! So, lest you think there will be a time when words won’t be an issue, think again!
I guess the point I want to drive home is this: When we start to stray from the facts and start to attack someone’s character we have crossed the line into sin. If I had stayed with the facts at hand, presented scripture and let it speak for itself I would have saved myself alot of trouble. It says in Ephesians 4:31-32a, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice and be KIND one to another!” I was not kind and I had slandered with anger the character of a person I did not know, who is also made in the image of God. I was wrong! Lesson painfully learned! So, I want you to know that I have learned these lessons in writing them and very recently, in living them. And lastly, I want to add, I finally feel that my blog name is totally correct, I am “growing in grace” and it is DEFINITELY one inch at a time!!!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Please weigh in!
Alright ladies, this is how this thing is going to work...the new series that is! I am going to take one topic a week and register a NEW post each day to make it continual from Monday through Friday, somewhat like a daily devotional. I will try to post first thing each morning but if I don’t, bear with me, I will get it up as soon as I can. Also, I only have a few topics that I feel like the Lord is moving me to research so I really would like to hear from you! If you have a topic that you would like to see addressed that is specific to women in our world today or a question you want answered please ask! I don’t pretend to have all the answers but you can rest assured I will find out! As a matter of fact, I LERVE (see previous blog post for definition of LERVE) to research the answers to tough questions! I will keep all inquiries anonymous and confidential. You can email me at scmcbride@msn.com.
As you know, if you read the intro, we will be studying the tongue this coming week. Yikes! I have learned quite a bit and amazingly, or maybe not so amazingly, I have still put my foot in my mouth a few times this week! Once, it was even my whole leg..right Melissa? This just affirms to me that I need this study, again and again!
On a different note, I want to say that I have had feedback from so many of you about the blog and that you have enjoyed it. Others have said that it is an encouragement to them. I want you all to know how very much this means to me! Writing is a very vulnerable thing because you can never predict how you will be perceived. Take that and top it with something as valuable as the word of God and it makes me fearful to write another word! The truth is, I have nothing to give you. I don’t know anything on my own. I am not some bible scholar. As a matter of fact, I read other blogs and other women and I think, “Wow, they said exactly what I wanted to say but better! Why am I even attempting this? There are so many other “authors” that are more studied and much better writers!” The one thing I can’t get away from is my own passion for the Lord and wanting that for you as well. If I can inspire you to study for yourself, to memorize scripture, to know the One we call Lord, then I have succeeded in what I have set out to do. Everyone of us has different backgrounds, scars, strongholds and issues in general. I am not a therapist, I will not even pretend to know the answer for everything that each of you has been through or come from. I only know, “Christ and Him crucified.” I know what He has done for me and like the woman at the well I must tell about the One who has set me free.
So, thank you for your words of encouragement! Any of you who have known me for any length of time know that this is not of me, this is truly the Lord. I will say it over and over again, “He makes me who I am not!”
As you know, if you read the intro, we will be studying the tongue this coming week. Yikes! I have learned quite a bit and amazingly, or maybe not so amazingly, I have still put my foot in my mouth a few times this week! Once, it was even my whole leg..right Melissa? This just affirms to me that I need this study, again and again!
On a different note, I want to say that I have had feedback from so many of you about the blog and that you have enjoyed it. Others have said that it is an encouragement to them. I want you all to know how very much this means to me! Writing is a very vulnerable thing because you can never predict how you will be perceived. Take that and top it with something as valuable as the word of God and it makes me fearful to write another word! The truth is, I have nothing to give you. I don’t know anything on my own. I am not some bible scholar. As a matter of fact, I read other blogs and other women and I think, “Wow, they said exactly what I wanted to say but better! Why am I even attempting this? There are so many other “authors” that are more studied and much better writers!” The one thing I can’t get away from is my own passion for the Lord and wanting that for you as well. If I can inspire you to study for yourself, to memorize scripture, to know the One we call Lord, then I have succeeded in what I have set out to do. Everyone of us has different backgrounds, scars, strongholds and issues in general. I am not a therapist, I will not even pretend to know the answer for everything that each of you has been through or come from. I only know, “Christ and Him crucified.” I know what He has done for me and like the woman at the well I must tell about the One who has set me free.
So, thank you for your words of encouragement! Any of you who have known me for any length of time know that this is not of me, this is truly the Lord. I will say it over and over again, “He makes me who I am not!”
Saturday, February 12, 2011
And She Shall Be Called "Woman" (Introduction)
I have missed you! Have you missed me? Notice how the statement was first then the question? There has to be some kind of rule in formal debate that gives this tactic a name; I call it coercion! So, I have been thinking about a lot of different things to blog about this week but nothing has totally settled with me until now. My best ideas ALWAYS come to me in the shower. I don’t know why but if I had someone taking dictation I could have been famous for all of the world’s problems I have solved while intoxicated by the heavy fragrance of Redken and Dove! Moving along, I have the opportunity on a daily basis through my job and through friendships to have interaction with a lot of women. Not to mention that I am one and am raising one as we speak! It is no secret that I have a passion for women to know the Lord. It is amazing to me that no matter how different our circumstances are that we can still relate on the level of being women. Do you know what I mean? There are just some things that are inherent to being a woman. No matter the color of your skin, your age, your weight, marital status, kids, no kids, education, background, heritage...there are some things that make for level ground with all of us. We all know what it is to want someone to think we are beautiful. We all know what it is to feel desire, love, hurt, betrayal, hopelessness, joy and fear and we all know how those things feel encased in this body known as “woman”.
It almost brings tears to your eyes when you ponder it for a while. The fact that we can relate in many ways that we don’t even realize. We are so prone to see the things that divide us rather than the things that make us the same. This has spurred me on to write a series of blog posts about things that are common denominators for us as women living in 21st century western culture. You may be able to only identify with one or two, maybe more, but my hope is that we can come to a place where we find healing and direction from the Word of Truth in our struggles. I don’t know about you but I hate to feel controlled by something or to feel that a stronghold has gotten the best of me. I can see a glimpse and feel the pull of what God has created me to be and I want it! And even though “now I see in a mirror dimly”, the essence is there. The light that is the Holy Spirit in me pulls me to fight against the strongholds and oppression, “the sin that so easily entangles” and I am zealous for wholeness in Christ!
This is a good place for a disclaimer: Please know the reality that this is not heaven and earth is not our home. We are sojourners and pilgrims that belong to another land. We are also fallen creatures embodied in flesh that will rebel against our Creator until we see Him face to face and are glorified, perfect and sinless. I am not proposing that these posts will bring us a utopia or eradicate all sin from our lives. I still struggle with every single one of these sins from time to time. The difference is the “turnaround time” is much faster the closer I get to the Lord and the more I expose myself to His renewing Word. The difference between a believer and an unbeliever is their “turnaround time” (my phraseology). Believers are quick to repent and turn from their sin. Unbelievers aren’t. Knowing this, I am constantly assessing my own life and asking the Lord to reveal sin so that I might not become comfortable with it, make friends with it and let it become “full grown”. Because “sin when it is full grown brings forth death” (James 1: 15b).
So, if I have peaked your interest you might be wondering about specific topics. Initially, we will deal with the sword..I mean the tongue. Yes, that wonderful thing that tends to give us so much trouble as women! “We all stumble in many ways. But if anyone does not stumble in what she says, she is a perfect woman, able also to bridle her whole body” (James 3:2). The word “bridle” is an equestrian term however, I tend to think more along the lines of mules...like “stubborn as a mule”. That’s me! Anyway, the list that I have so far is not exhaustive or conclusive but I have tried to look first at my own life and then the lives of women around me. I also tried to focus on issues that are not age specific although a few of them may be. I can only write from my perspective and my life experiences are admittedly less than some women my age and certainly less than women who are older than me. However, I do know that the things that are inherent within us as women can be united under the incomparable, changeless, ageless Word of God. No matter what separates us, this unites us! There isn’t a single thing that you or I will ever encounter in our lives that the Word cannot speak into and over with absolute truth!
“The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces through to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
“All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for reproof, correction, instruction and training in righteousness” (2Tim 3:16).
So we are going to take our “stuff” to the Lord through His word and get some truth over what ails us! I am so excited aren’t you? This will be an incredible journey and I am excited to see what He reveals to us about Himself to change us forever!
It almost brings tears to your eyes when you ponder it for a while. The fact that we can relate in many ways that we don’t even realize. We are so prone to see the things that divide us rather than the things that make us the same. This has spurred me on to write a series of blog posts about things that are common denominators for us as women living in 21st century western culture. You may be able to only identify with one or two, maybe more, but my hope is that we can come to a place where we find healing and direction from the Word of Truth in our struggles. I don’t know about you but I hate to feel controlled by something or to feel that a stronghold has gotten the best of me. I can see a glimpse and feel the pull of what God has created me to be and I want it! And even though “now I see in a mirror dimly”, the essence is there. The light that is the Holy Spirit in me pulls me to fight against the strongholds and oppression, “the sin that so easily entangles” and I am zealous for wholeness in Christ!
This is a good place for a disclaimer: Please know the reality that this is not heaven and earth is not our home. We are sojourners and pilgrims that belong to another land. We are also fallen creatures embodied in flesh that will rebel against our Creator until we see Him face to face and are glorified, perfect and sinless. I am not proposing that these posts will bring us a utopia or eradicate all sin from our lives. I still struggle with every single one of these sins from time to time. The difference is the “turnaround time” is much faster the closer I get to the Lord and the more I expose myself to His renewing Word. The difference between a believer and an unbeliever is their “turnaround time” (my phraseology). Believers are quick to repent and turn from their sin. Unbelievers aren’t. Knowing this, I am constantly assessing my own life and asking the Lord to reveal sin so that I might not become comfortable with it, make friends with it and let it become “full grown”. Because “sin when it is full grown brings forth death” (James 1: 15b).
So, if I have peaked your interest you might be wondering about specific topics. Initially, we will deal with the sword..I mean the tongue. Yes, that wonderful thing that tends to give us so much trouble as women! “We all stumble in many ways. But if anyone does not stumble in what she says, she is a perfect woman, able also to bridle her whole body” (James 3:2). The word “bridle” is an equestrian term however, I tend to think more along the lines of mules...like “stubborn as a mule”. That’s me! Anyway, the list that I have so far is not exhaustive or conclusive but I have tried to look first at my own life and then the lives of women around me. I also tried to focus on issues that are not age specific although a few of them may be. I can only write from my perspective and my life experiences are admittedly less than some women my age and certainly less than women who are older than me. However, I do know that the things that are inherent within us as women can be united under the incomparable, changeless, ageless Word of God. No matter what separates us, this unites us! There isn’t a single thing that you or I will ever encounter in our lives that the Word cannot speak into and over with absolute truth!
“The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces through to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
“All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for reproof, correction, instruction and training in righteousness” (2Tim 3:16).
So we are going to take our “stuff” to the Lord through His word and get some truth over what ails us! I am so excited aren’t you? This will be an incredible journey and I am excited to see what He reveals to us about Himself to change us forever!
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