Published by admin on 08 Feb 2013 at 03:29 pm
BLESSING GOD, YET CURSING YOUR NEIGHBOR?
While I’m not exactly known for being subtle in ministering to others, I am sensitive to their needs. After all, what good does it do to sugar-coat unacceptable behavior? It only shows approval and makes excuses for and enables it, so it just continues to go on. Well, we want people to know beyond any shadow of a doubt that we are Christians, right? Then how will the world be able to recognize us; by our bumper sticker? How about our Bible bag? Maybe it’s by our “church face”? More importantly, how will God be able to recognize His own when it’s time for Him to take them home? Maybe we need to qualify “His own”.
I’ll start at the top. At the top of a man is his mind, or so it SHOULD be, and it should be filled with the Word of God, which in turn should dictate how the rest of that person behaves. Slightly below the mind is the mouth, which I call “the pie hole”. At least I like to stuff pie in mine sometimes. Pretty much any kind suits me just fine. And if things only went IN our mouth, it wouldn’t be so bad. But for some reason, though you can put good stuff into your mouth, sometimes really bad stuff comes out of it, like WORDS for example. With our words we bless God and curse our neighbor. And that shouldn’t be happening. But the mouth can’t help it, because it’s only doing what the mind tells it to do. So I guess it’s really a mind problem. You can bless God, and curse your neighbor, and the devil doesn’t mind. HOWEVER, God DOES mind.
Let’s look at some verses in James chapter three:,
Jas 3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
Jas 3:4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Jas 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
Jas 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Jas 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Jas 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Jas 3:11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
Jas 3:12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Jas 3:13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
Jas 3:14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
Jas 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
Jas 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
Jas 3:18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
All of us who claim Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior need to pay attention to this. You know, we ask God for mercy to forgive our sins, then we turn right around after having received His mercy, and say something rotten to someone or about someone. We would be better off sometimes to keep our pie hole full of pie so nothing comes out but “MMMMMmmm”. I do quite a bit of marriage counseling, and it’s amazing how a man and woman can fall in love to the point where they cannot stand to be apart, yet their words often end up severing that bond.
It seems everywhere I go, even Christians have a thing or two to say about someone else, and it isn’t always pretty and uplifting. We are quick to ask God for mercy, and even quicker to notice someone else’s faults and talk about them to everyone we know. Of course that gives the hearer a bad taste in his pie hole about that person, who will usually go tell someone else. Not only does it ruin the reputation of the person being talked about, but it also reflects very badly on the brethren or cistern (pun intended) doing the talking about them. A godly man or woman won’t repeat gossip (so you’d better listen close the first time).
Now, you know I usually get around to talking about healing, sooner or later. What if you need healing in your spirit, soul, or body? First off, you worship God and ask Him for mercy. Then you tell Him how YOU deserve mercy, because you don’t do such and such that brother George or sister Mary does, that you heard about from sister Clara, right? No, of course not. Well, why not? Because God wouldn’t be pleased! The sad part is, every Christian having the Holy Spirit KNOWS the Holy Spirit is grieved when we speak evil of someone, yet we do it anyway! How can we realistically expect God’s mercy when we act so unmercifully toward others? Don’t feel too bad, I’ve done it too, and yes I very quickly realized the Holy Spirit was grieved, and I had to quickly repent. Here’s a clue about “repent”: that means you realize your error and you’re sorry you did it, and you QUIT DOING IT. Often it also means going to that person and asking THEM to forgive you, and maybe they will, and maybe they won’t. But regardless of what that person does, YOU repent.
Husbands and wives probably suffer more from “foot in mouth disease” than anyone else. Your mate is the one you’re closest to, so it’s only reasonable to assume they are the one who catches the brunt of your, how can I best say it…unkind words. There’s an old saying: If you are going to end up eating your words, make sure they’re sweet. It’s really wonderful to tell God how wonderful He is. Just make sure that same mouth tells the same thing about your neighbor. There is something good to say about everyone, but sometimes you really have to search it out. Think of it this way, God created us all, and He doesn’t create JUNK. So, if there is someone YOU perceive as worthless, give thought about the words they had spoken over and about them, how those words shaped their life, or mis-shaped it, as the case may be. Even if you can only say about them, They have a pretty mole on their nose, DON’T speak evil of anyone, no matter how they may be out of agreement with your beliefs. Don’t bless God, and curse your neighbor. It doesn’t please our LORD, and if He isn’t pleased, well, you know….