“—they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.“ Matthew 9:12

If you would be truly godly, then you must see how
bad you are, how vile, how sinful, how wretched
you are. No man begins to be good until he sees
himself to be bad. Ah! You must see yourselves . . .
to be children of wrath,
to be enemies of God,
to be strangers from God,
to be afar off from God,
to be afar from heaven,
to be sin’s servants,
to be Satan’s bond-slaves.

The first step to mercy,
is to see your misery.

The first step towards heaven,
is to see yourselves near to hell.

You won’t look after the physician of souls,
you won’t prize the physician of souls,
you won’t desire the physician of souls,
you won’t fall in love with the physician of souls,
you won’t resign yourselves to the physician of souls
—until you come to see your wounds, until you come
to feel your diseases, until you see the symptoms,
the plague-sores of divine wrath and displeasure
upon you. As the whole do not need the physician,
so they do not desire, they do not care for the
physician. Acquaint yourselves with your natural
and undone condition.  –By Thomas Brooks, 1660

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”–James 1:19-20

When you were growing up, did you ever practice saying tongue twisters quickly? I remember one that said, “Sally sells seashells on the seashore.” One old time actor used to use tongue twisters to warm up his speech before a scene. This is the twister he used to say over and over before going on stage: “Betty Botter bought a bit of butter, ‘But,’ she said, ‘this butter’s bitter. If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter. But a bit of better butter will make my batter better.’ So Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter, and it made her batter better.”

Tongue twisters may be fun to say, but what about real tongue twisters? Those situations you face when your tongue seems to get you in trouble. The tongue is a powerful member of our body that if not guarded can cause great harm.

How often have our tongues gotten us in trouble? God’s Word is filled with warnings about the power of the tongue yet many times our lips move faster than our brain. Our verses give us three tools in controlling our tongue.

First, God tells us to “be swift to hear.” One of the main reasons we find ourselves regretting what we say is because we don’t spend enough time listening. Someone once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so we should be twice as eager to listen than to talk.”

What would happen if you committed to hearing a full story before you judged someone? What if you decided to listen to your spouse before yelling at them? What if you also opened your ears to God’s teaching rather than excusing away your sin? God desires that you would resist the urge to speak immediately, and listen.

Second, God tells us to be “slow to speak.” Of course this tool ties into being swift to hear. No one can be fully engaged in listening while they are speaking. Too many people are only concerned with what they have to say, rather than what others around them are saying. The next time a hurting person or a downtrodden friend comes to you, rather than offering advice right away, allow them to speak while you listen. Who knows, you may be able to share the Gospel with an unsaved person by being slow to speak.

Last, God commands us to be “slow to wrath.” Anger can be displayed in many forms, one of which is through our speech. When treated wrongly, our instinct tells us to react, respond, and retaliate. But God wants us to be slow to wrath, to step back and allow God to handle the situation.

As we live this Christian life, we will face many difficult battles. Perhaps one of the hardest will be the battle with our own tongue. Our tongue not only has the power to uplift or destroy, but it also reveals what is truly in our hearts. That is why God emphasizes the importance of being swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to respond in anger.

Is your tongue under control? Or do you often carelessly let comments slip and later regret them? God desires that you would use your words for good, and would spend time listening rather than talking. Take time right now to listen to God’s Word. Read His words to you and respond in submission. Determine that this week you will be mindful of your responses and think before you speak.–From Daily in the Word

“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” —Hebrews 11:17-19

Trust is one of the strongest acts between human beings. Trust is built over time, but can be destroyed in a moment. Trust is not given freely, but it is cherished by those who hold it. Trust is the act of knowing someone will not disappoint you when you ask them to do something, tell them a close secret, or seek their help.

While trust between human beings is sacred, trust between God and His children is even more special. Think about the following poem written regarding our trusting God:

Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee,
Trust Him when thy strength is small,
Trust Him when to simply trust Him
Seems the hardest thing of all.

Trust Him, He is ever faithful,
Trust Him, for his will is best,
Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus
Is the only place of rest.

Sometimes we apply our human view of trust to God. We are wary about His promises and his ability to provide for us, yet God invites us to prove Him by trusting Him (Malachi 3:10).

Abraham trusted God to provide a son as He had promised, and God provided Isaac. When Isaac was a boy, God required Abraham’s faith again. Hebrews 11 shows us that Abraham trusted God, even as God asked him to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham may have had doubts and no doubt was pained, yet he trusted God would provide.

Imagine being in Abraham’s spot. God had promised a son, and though you struggled with that promise earlier in life, God had provided Isaac, your only child whom you loved dearly. Now, God was requiring you to kill your only son, knowing you and your wife are old. How would you react? Would you have trusted God?

Often, not until we are faced with a difficult situation can we know how we will react. God uses difficult times to prove our trust in Him, and during those times we have the opportunity to prove God’s faithfulness.

Never forget that the God who asks for your trust is the same God who proved to Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Joshua, Daniel, and Paul that He is faithful and worthy of trust. If Abraham could trust God enough to offer his own son, you can trust God in any situation you face.

Remember, God is worthy of your trust, and He has proved time and again in His Word that He never fails. Don’t be afraid to trust Him today.(By Paul Chappell)