My Word

Could it be that I’m getting somewhat inspired again?  Here I am posting again.  Two days in a row!  If I keep it up, I might set a new record.

Sorry, that is my sarcastic nature at work.  Just pray for me.

In seriousness, I want to explore a few thoughts that came to me this morning as I drove in to work and just let my mind meditate on God.  As I was driving in, I was listening to the book of Ephesians on my iPhone and there were several passages of scripture that struck me:

“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another” (Eph 4:25).

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:29).

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (Eph 5:4).

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” (Eph 5:6), I think this passage implies that we, as Christ followers, shouldn’t speak empty words either.

Each one of these passages has to do with our words.  I don’t know when the thought originally came to me, but I know it wasn’t something I was taught in school or even remember hearing.  But for some time I’ve known that the words that I speak truly define who I am.  This is just another example of the Word of God (The Bible), confirming itself:

“And he called the people to him and said to them, ‘Hear and understand:  it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person‘” (Matt 15:10-11).

I don’t have to look any further than my own life to realize that I really don’t know how important my “words” are.  The words that I speak are “ME”.

So, to bring this to a close, I pondered the passages I listed above for a few moments and for some reason, yesterdays post popped into my head.  Not the whole post, but the lyrics I shared towards the end.  I sit here even now with a feeling of immense sadness as I think about those words and how easily I have sung them in worship, which in reality, is a confession to God, and haven’t really meant them.  How many times have I sung a song of worship, or prayed a prayer and it has been words with no meaning?  Empty words like those talked about in Ephesians 5:6!  Oh how every one of us have done it.  What does God think of that?

Is it any wonder that Martin Luther spent so much time in repentance before God?  Yes, we are justified by faith and for that I am eternally grateful.  I thank God right now for His salvation, His mercy, His grace and His comfort.  But the deeper I get into His Word, the more I see just how sinful and horrible I am when I try and come to Him on my own; the more I see how often I try to come to God in my own righteousness, which is non-existent!  In my pride, I think I don’t need God for my salvation, but when I look at the words that I speak, I stand condemned.  All I can do is throw myself on His mercy, ask Him to cleanse me and deliver me.