WATCHING OUR WORDS

“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”–Proverbs 10:19

   In our desire to live holy lives, we must maintain vigilance on several fronts.  We have to keep our attitudes right, as well as our actions.  Our thought lives must also be kept under control.  Our verse deals with yet another important and very challenging area to be disciplined, and that is our words.  As growing believers, we are commanded to restrict our conversations.  Perhaps, we sin as much with our words as in any other area of our lives.  

   In the New Testament, James tells us that if a man can control his words, he can tame any part of his body.  “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:2)  Taming the tongue requires great grace as well as discipline and determination.  We all know the pain of having said something we later wished we could retrieve.  We also know the devastating power of words that leave permanent scars.  Idle or malicious words spoken about someone can shape others’ opinions about them forever.  

   By contrast, we know the healing and comforting effect that the right words spoken at the right time can bring.  Lives have been greatly helped by the assurance that is given by words of confidence.  How wonderful it would be if we could keep from sinning with our lips, or only say the kind of things that are positive and constructive.  

   Our text gives us practical counsel that can help us curb the occurrences of sinning with our words.  The Word of God advises us to monitor and regulate our words.  “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”  When words are used without discretion, sin will definitely be the result.  If we are serious about this matter, we cannot afford to freely say everything that crosses our minds or verbalize our opinions about every subject.  There are many ways we can sin with our words.  We can say things that are harsh, cruel, critical, condemning, negative, hopeless, demeaning, deceitful, suggestive, or dishonest.  It is true; the more we say, the more likely we will sin with our words.  So the Bible warns us to limit our words.  Refraining our lips is one of the wisest things we can do.  We must be careful that our words are both truthful and beneficial.– Straight Paths

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

REDEEMING THE TIME
“Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”–Eph. 5:16
Millions entered the new year with regrets for things they neglected to do and resolutions for what they should do. But the new year will be just like the past year unless we do something different. The key is learning to redeem the time. Adrian Rogers gives us this wise advice :
(1) Learn to live in the eternal now. Today is the only day you have. Redeem the time. (2) Stop saying, “If I had time.” You do have time. (3) Stop worrying about tomorrow, and stop waiting for tomorrow. Give God today, and He will take care of tomorrow. (4) Cut yourself loose from the past. Bury your failure in the grave of God’s forgetfulness (read Mic 7:18-19, Isaiah 43:25, 44:22), and let Him give you a brand new day. (5) If you have not accepted Christ, now is the time “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)–2 Cor. 6:2 
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

A Handful Of Thorns
 “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;”–Ps. 105:5
Jeremy Taylor was a 17th-century English cleric who was severely persecuted for his faith. But though his house was plundered, his family left destitute, and his property confiscated, he continued to count the blessings he could not lose.
He wrote: “They have not taken away my merry countenance, my cheerful spirit, and a good conscience; they have still left me with the providence of God, and all His promises … my hopes of Heaven, and my charity to them, too, and still I sleep and digest, I eat and drink, I read and meditate. And He that hath so many causes of joy, and so great should never choose to sit down upon His little handful of thorns.”
Although we may not be afflicted with the grievous difficulties that Jeremy Taylor endured, all of us face trials and troubles. Are we grumbling? Or do we refuse to let our “little handful of thorns,” our troubles, obscure the overwhelming abundance of our blessings?
When we feel like complaining, let’s remember God’s faithfulness and “give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people!… Remember His marvelous works which He hath done!” (Ps. 105:1,5).– Copied
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

No Vacancy

Fred, a clerk in a retail store, was rude to the customers and lazy. On several occasions his boss was about to fire him. But he didn’t follow through because of his concern for Fred’s wife and children, who would suffer from his dismissal.

One day a regular customer stopped in and noticed that Fred wasn’t there. He asked the manager about him and was told that he had taken another job. The customer asked, “Are you planning to replace him?” The manager replied, “No, it isn’t necessary. Fred didn’t leave a vacancy.”

Fred’s work was of such poor quality that the business was better off without him. That should never be true of any employee, especially a Christian.

The apostle Paul told servants to be obedient to their masters “With goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men” (Ephesians 6:7).

God expected Christian servants in Paul’s day to work diligently for their masters, and we too should give our employers an honest day’s work. It’s the right thing to do, and it strengthens our witness for Christ.

One good way to test the value of your work is to ask yourself this question: If I left my job, would it create a vacancy?

Some people stop looking for work when they get a job.—Richard De Haan 

THE BASIS OF FAITH

“Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.”–Exodus 6:6–8

All of us have had the unpleasant experience of having someone we trusted let us down. Perhaps it was something as simple as a friend not showing up to give you a ride or failing to return a book you lent them. Perhaps it was a serious breach of trust in a marriage or a financial relationship that left devastation. The reason people fail to keep their word to us—and if we’re honest the reason we sometimes fail to keep our word to others—is because of our nature. We are sinners, and sinners fail to do what is right from time to time.

By contrast, when God was making promises to Moses for the Israelites, He was speaking of things that seemed to be impossible. There was no hope humanly speaking of changing Pharaoh’s mind. The slave labor of the Israelites was a valuable resource for Egypt and would not be willingly abandoned. The military might of Egypt meant no revolt could hope to succeed. Yet what God promised happened exactly as He said—because the promise was based on His unfailing nature. God’s character is to fulfill the promises that He makes, and we can always trust that He will. Our faith rests on the unshakable foundation of God’s nature and character.–Daily in the Word

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346