As I captured the photo above, I first thought of how brilliant our Creator is, but then my mind traveled to a different subject ~ The tongue.
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity…” -James 3:9
Controlling our tongue is something very difficult, and unfortunately after the words come out, we are unable to press the rewind button. I have found myself in many situations where I wish I had not said what came out. It happens to all of us, and because of the Lord’s love, we can be forgiven of it! Though this is true, there is a way that we can prevent from speaking wrongly as often. The directions to do so come from the Lord’s Holy Word.
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” -Ephesians 4:29
I have pondered this verse many times, and am so thankful for it. Paul speaks to us in this verse, telling us to flee from speaking corrupt communication, and only allow communication which ministers grace unto the hearers to be spoken. As for myself, I have been guilty of doing just the opposite… Sometimes I struggle to minister grace through my words, and later on I feel dismayed because of my wrong doing. Thankfully, the Lord is full of love and forgiveness.
Using only words that minister grace is difficult at times, is it not? We, as believers in Christ, need to set an example to those who have not come to know the Lord yet. If we speak kindly to them, I am sure that they will be able to see our passionate love for God.
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” -1 Timothy 4:12
May we strive to set a Christian example to others, and allow only good communication to come from our tongues.
7 comments:
Ooh, what a beautiful picture, Jenna! This post is full of such truth--it came at just the right time for me. I think God knew I needed to read this today. ;)
Blessings, dear!
~Moriah
Yes, Jenna!! This is something I have indeed been working on.
What an edifying and helpful post, Jenna; thank you so much for sharing! It is always good to be reminded of the importance of watching our speech and making sure that the things we say are glorifying to the Lord. Ephesians 4:29 is actually a verse that I was dicussing recently with someone in my church family. It was very profitable to meditate on. Beautiful photo, as well, my friend!
Amy
That's an amazing photo! :)
Hi Jenna! I wanted to thank you for you sweet comment on my blog! I love getting comments especially from new readers:) I have been checking you blog for a while also and enjoy reading it and seeing you lovely photography!
Also, I awarded you on my blog (http://ransomedprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/stylish-blogger-award.html.
Have a blessed day!
My dearest friend,
What sweet words you bless us with the joy to read, coming from a beautiful heart. The tongue is a thing that we must constantly guard, and by God's grace alone can we do it. Thank you for your friendship, that I not only cherish so much, but treasure with all of my heart. I praise the Lord for you!
Love In Christ,
~Shannon~
Thank you so much for sharing this, Jenna! It was a blessing to me to read, and not only was I encouraged in my own heart regarding my tongue and the words that I speak, but I was encouraged to hear of your love for the Lord and of your desire to be obedient to Him in this area. How wonderful it is that sisters in the Lord can encourage and build up one another!
As I read through what you shared, one verse that came to mind that has always been a great encouragement to me is: "Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 141:3.) May that be our prayer as well! And then may we earnestly seek to do this . . . guarding our lips, keeping a watch over what words we speak. As you shared, once the words come out of our mouths, there is no "rewind button" . . . thus, why it is so important for us to think before we speak, for us to examine and find whether or not the words we desire to speak would be pleasing to the Lord.
Thank you again for sharing this, Jenna, as it was a blessing to me!
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