A Way With The Word

 It's hard not to talk sometimes, but talking too much–even about seemingly innocent things–can get us into trouble. I'm certain I'm not the only one who's been there, but I've put my foot in my mouth plenty of times. Proverbs 21:23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. Why couldn't I have just stayed quiet?

Why would God want us to be quiet? It's not that He wants us to be quiet, but He wants us to be wise about what we share, how we share it, when, and even with whom we share. He wants us to talk to Him about it first. Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. I have to laugh sometimes when I think about how quiet we all would be if we only said what God wanted us to say. The kind of silence that vibrates, right?

We are to ask God to check us and lead us into the things we say and do. We like to think we know the best way and the right way to do things or what is best for others, but the fact is, we can get in God's way more times than we think. When we don't stop and pray about what to say or do before we act, we run the risk of being divisive or harmful in a situation. Yes, sometimes even when sharing our faith. 1 Peter 3:15-16 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. In order to have this hope, we must be constantly building our faith (thank you for this reminder, Norm), and being gentle and respectful in our behavior and in our attitudes. 

When is the last time you wanted to take advice from someone who wasn't living out the faith they are telling YOU how to live? Our true faith lived out is our best example of a life changed by Christ. When I think back to some of the people who have shaped my faith, one of the things that stands out is how gracious and patient they were with me. They saw my imperfections and met them with grace. 

Grace is the face that 

love wears when it meets

imperfection

Joseph R. Cooke 

In the moment, sometimes we forget that God needs to deal with us on the things that trip us, before we think we are qualified to tell others how bad they are stumbling. Matthew 7:3-5 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. We are all hypocrites at some point or another, and probably every day, if we're being real about ourselves. I want to lose weight, but I also buy cookies! I want to have muscles, but I don't like to exercise! It's not just "people who go to church every Sunday yet still do blah blah blah," as I often hear. Going to church or being a Christian does not make anyone perfect or less prone to sinning. Going to church means something different for each person there, just like not going to church means something different for each person not there. It's best to not speculate on the reasons and actions of others. Life is hard enough for myself without having to keep others in check! Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Amen. Lord, help me to be kinder, gentler, and more receptive to what others need. I want to be more gracious and patient, like my mentor is with me, and the ones before me. Not only were they happier, but they were much more peaceful too! This is living in the spirit, and not of the flesh. Galatians 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 

Learning to know what to say and how to say it comes with time, knowledge, and wisdom, and then there's no guarantee that we won't still say a wrong thing! James 3:2 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 respect hearing corrections or advice from people who have "put in their time", so to speak, and knowing that they are in the Word, learning and growing. I know that they have been praying about my situation and therefore will follow God's lead before they speak on it. There is a great deal of trust between people required before this type of relationship can exist. I know more now than I did before that it starts with me and my relationship with God and I didn't always recognize this. I thought I just had to know the Word and how to pray and believe, and all of that good stuff. But there was more God was showing me, and now I know this is where the Word, prayer, and belief leads. I want to be careful when I pray for others, that I am asking for God's will and listening for His voice when I am quiet. Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God;

When I truly began searching into the actual character of God, I began to unravel the character of myself, and I tore open some things that I had kept buried before. What I began to learn is that I was finally allowing the realization in that God knows me. That may not seem too deep for someone who already "gets it," but for a person who doesn't intimately know the Lord, it becomes new territory to realize that God knows us. It seems obvious since He created us, right? But that kind of went over my head. I was so busy reading Scripture and writing it down, that I didn't stop to think about this part of it. 

 Here's how it went: I started getting to know Him and his attributes, and because of that, I realized how much he already knew me. This is another side of the "relationship" part of "religion" that people talk about but don't really know how to explain well. It's because it's personal to us and God with elements only we can explain because they only apply to us personally. It's how we are designed. John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. It doesn't matter how many times someone tells us something about God. It's when we finally receive it for ourselves that it sinks in. God has always been there, always will be, and is so patient with us. But He does want us to come to Him willingly. When we do, and we accept Him, a whole new relationship begins. Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. When we continue to pursue God, He will give us Himself. Let me also say that trying to define who God is is like trying to harness the sun with a butterfly net. I'm simply reading Scriptures and seeking what God did and what attributes that it revealed in Him. There is no way to fully know God, unless through His Son, Jesus. John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. But again, I'm getting a little off topic. I'm trying to keep these shorter! 

When I started into my studies, It was much more than reading the "thees and thous and heretos" that usually keep people from delving into the Bible. I started seeing how God led His people into and out of situations, and I saw how He had been leading me in and out of situations my whole life. I imagined myself into the same places as those people, as weird as that may sound, and I saw how He loves us and truly does put us in the best positions for our success. But like any parent would impart, we have a responsibility in our own success too. It's not a bunch of rules and regulations we have to follow–it's a heart we have to have for things that we know are good for our well-being, and making choices that don't always make sense, but will be the best outcome for who God is making us into. When we get on God's side of things, it's a faith we build that drives us closer and closer to God and into the life He has planned for us. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD," plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

If we want to be the kind of people that others come to for faith questions or prayers, we should be spending time with God in prayer, and also allowing Him to shape us into the person that can be trusted with His Word. I believe God has been encouraging me to learn by showing me my weaknesses and helping me to become stronger. What we commit to Him, He will bless. 

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14

(For more on learning the attributes of God's character, read the Psalms)