Saturday 15 September 2012

Let the words................. be acceptable!


Gracious Words

'Let the words of my mouth...be acceptable in Your sight.' Psalm 19:14
Mark Twain quipped, 'It takes two years to learn to talk, and the rest
of your life to control your mouth.'
The Psalmist prayed, 'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation
of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.' A sin most often tolerated
in the church, and sometimes even condoned, is the sin of gossip.
Jesus condemns careless words, saying they '...come from an evil heart...'
(Matthew 15:18 TLB). And how about words we speak without considering
their effect on others? If you think God just turns a blind eye, think again!
Jesus said, 'Every one...is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a
time of reckoning...take them seriously' (Matthew 12:36 TM).
Your words create or destroy, discourage or inspire, heal or hurt,
so choose what you say carefully.
Careless words are often just the meaningless chatter we engage in when
we've nothing worthwhile to contribute. And the more you speak them,
the more likely they are to deteriorate into gossip and hurt people.
Solomon writes: 'Even fools are thought wise when they keep
silent...' (Proverbs 17:28 NLT). Would you trust someone who had a frivolous
comment for everything? No? Then stop and think about what comes out
of your mouth! Would you get more respect and cause less confusion if you
kept it shut? Or were more discerning about the kind of stories you tell? Or
thought twice before you 'shoot from the hip'? The Bible says, 'Let your speech
always be with grace...that you may know how you ought to answer
each one' (Colossians 4:6 NKJV).

Thanking you Lord today (day 264) for such wise words....................

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