Proverbs 29:20 ¶ Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words?
there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Hasty words have hurt many a friend and spouse.
They’ve ended jobs and caused arrests. Words mean something and what you say
this morning can have a tremendous effect on the rest of the day, the week, the
month, or even the rest of your life.
Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth,
and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in
heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
James 1:19 ¶ Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath:
There’s not much hope for someone whose mouth
runs before their brain is engaged. There is also the simpleton who simply must
have the last word in any discussion or argument. When you talk to them you
just know they aren’t even thinking about what you’re saying but waiting to say
something that has come to their mind.
We would be wise to be slow to speak according
to God’s word and to choose our words carefully. A Christian’s words should
have purpose.
Ephesians 4:29 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.
We’ve had plenty of examples of celebrity
preachers who, when given the national spotlight, have said ill-advised things
that reflected their own opinions or weaknesses rather than God’s eternal
truths designed to bring people closer to Him through Christ. Sometimes, having
a pulpit that gets attention from the media, they simply say stupid things.
Whether it be Jerry Falwell blaming 9/11 on abortion and homosexuality rather
than on the malicious intent of the perpetrators and their leaders and our
failed foreign policies or Pat Robertson claiming he could leg press a ton or
Jeremiah Wright cursing America from the pulpit these men apparently believed
their own press too much.
Often politicians will regret a random statement that came
out of their mouth at an inopportune time. Recently, a rash of political
leaders have been reported as saying some of the most embarrassing, moronic,
and idiotic things like abortion providers, performing a legal act even if in
reality is murder, should be hung as criminals. (Not too smart for a politician
too gutless to fight to end and to propose legislation to curtail or limit
abortion which is thankfully changing). Another was reported as saying it’s not
good to help the poor because it only encourages them to breed. Some have used
gun references implying, perhaps, to the unbalanced that their opponents were
worthy targets of violence and this was done by both Democrats and Republicans.
A former president was nearly killed twice because of this kind of speech.
These things are bad if spoken without thinking and even worse if part of a
planned speech.
Men in positions of responsibility and authority
should use their words more wisely. And you and I at home should also be
careful about what we say and not speak too hastily. I was terribly guilty of
this as a parent and said many things in anger that I can never take back.
There was more hope for a fool than for me. In fact, I have been a fool most of
my life. I had learned to say what I felt at the time rather than what should
be said or what was helpful. I fear I hurt young minds and hearts by my rashness
and hot temper.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit
to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
To everyone out there, particularly to
Christians, think carefully before you respond to anyone, particularly
children. They remember and are affected by rash speech and unkind words. Keep
in mind that it’s easier sometimes to forget a beating than it is a verbal
battering. Our rash words can bring down a child’s view of his or her own value
and that can have devastating effect on their lives. Think before you speak,
particularly if you’re angry. Don’t be a fool.
Proverbs
29:21 ¶ He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him
become his son at the length.
Matthew Henry and John Gill had this meaning
that if you treat a servant too kindly and give him an easy life he will start
acting like your child and eventually will not think of himself as a servant.
However, there are some interesting verses in the Bible that one could easily
link to this one for a slightly different outlook.
Galatians 4:1 ¶ Now I say, That the heir, as
long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of
all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the
father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements
of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his
Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the
law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of
God through Christ.
Therefore, under the Law, and to the Pharisees
among my fundamentalist brethren, under your strict and unyielding convictions
of how one ought to dress and behave, and even vote, we are servants but under
grace we become sons, or children. Saved mankind goes from being a servant to
being a son as God moves from the harshness of the Law to the nurturing and
admonition of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Even more so, the duties of a man toward His
Maker go from being outward in the flesh and human will to being inward in a
changed heart, a born again spirit, and being moved by the Holy Ghost. God has
delicately brought us up. If we submit to His words in His Bible He will gently
change our hearts, our dispositions, our likes and dislikes, and what we think
of as our needs. I am not saying that salvation isn’t accomplished all at once
when we are born again by faith and trust in Christ, but the process of being
set apart for God’s use, sanctification, does take us from a servant to a
child.
Do you obey God as a servant or as His child? I
believe that you should go to church as often as you are able given the
exigencies of health, distance, work, financial ability, and family
responsibilities to worship and to spend time with your brothers and sisters in
Christ. But, why do you go? Why are you there? Are you there because of duty to
a demanding master or because of the affection you feel for a loving father? Do
you go because that’s just what Christians do or do you go because you feel
drawn to it as a child is drawn to be with those whom he or she loves? Where
are you in your Christian life? Still only a servant or more, a child of God?
No comments:
Post a Comment