Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

PASTOR'S PENS 2009

March 1st “Kindly words, sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding men's sensitiveness–these cost very little, but they are priceless in their value.”                                                                                                                  F. W. Robertson                 Mature Christians watch their language but I’m not talking about profanity. Scripture teaches that we must hold ourselves responsible for what we say because our Heavenly Father does (Matthew 12:36). Parents sometimes tell their children that some words are not to be used in “polite company,” as believers though, we know that we are always in “polite company.” We live our lives in God’s divine presence and no word escapes His notice. It’s never a legitimate excuse for a Christian to say, “I didn't realize that anyone was listening.” We know that God is always listening to what we say. That can be a rather intimidating thought. It might seem then that the best policy would be not to say much at all, rather than run the risk of saying the wrong thing. I don’t think though that that’s the solution. It’s certainly not God’s desire for us to live in constant anxiety about our speech, yet it’s very important that we work at nurturing good speech habits.                 Think about this. People who are skilled at dinner-party etiquette do not nervously worry about every move they make. They’ve nurtured the appropriate sensitivities. Having done that, they’re free to enjoy their meals. As God’s children, we need a similar kind of nurturing. Through the centuries of church history, many Christians have been cruel and reckless speakers. Sometimes we’ve even thought of our uncivil speech as an exercise in Christian virtue. Most of us have some unlearning to do when it comes to our habits of speech. Again, that doesn't mean we must go through life constantly worrying about how we talk. The key is to form godly habits. As a community of faith, we need to encourage and hold one another accountable for our words. After all, we are supposed to be a model community before a lost world in which other people can see how God intends diverse individuals and groups to get along.                 While God has not called us to be spiritual sissies, we can and should be strong in our convictions...sometimes that means saying strong things. But we are also to “speak the truth in love.” There’s never an excuse for cruelty, slander, gossip or name calling. As our friend, James, warns us, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!”                 Someone foolishly coined the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Whoever said that could have never been more wrong. Broken bones heal much quicker than the wounds left by an out of control tongue. I know people to this day who are still suffering from the aftermath of a tongue lashing. Dr. Tim Dailey once shared that some of the most encouraging words he’d ever heard came from Christian people. Then, he went on to say that some of the most hurtful words ever spoken against him also came from Christian people.                 There is great power in the spoken word. There are Christian people that I know who are always negative. They have nothing positive to say. Their demeanor, or the way they carry themselves, reflects this. If you talk negatively, then you will get negative results because your words create a negative environment, which will produce negative results. Wonderfully, though, the opposite is also true.                 Try this experiment. For the next 48 hours, determine within yourself that you will speak only positive, hopeful, edifying  things about your job, your children, your spouse, your health, your future, anything and everything that affects your life. It may be difficult at first, but see what type of results you get.                 A lot of people would not be where they are now, if they had not engaged in a particular conversation. A lot of people would still be friends today if they could have glued their lips together. A lot of homes would still be together if couples were a little more careful with their words. Many adults’ lives would be shaped differently if they weren’t the victims of childhood verbal abuse.                 Sadly, we too often bring the verbal behavior of our world into the church. I believe that American churches suffer more from this than any other nation. The reason being is that we as Americans have the mind-set of “freedom of speech.” We can say whatever we want to, whenever we want to, to whomever we want to. We think that we have the right to speak our minds.  Now, there is nothing wrong with speaking our minds, as long as that mind has been transformed and renewed by the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit.                 Even the Bible says that we in ourselves cannot control our tongues. That is why Paul says that we need to be under the control of the Holy Spirit. We must die to ourselves daily, a choice we make everyday, and allow the Lord to rule in our lives. Proverbs 13:3 says, “He who guards his mouth preserves his life. But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Friend, is your tongue productive or destructive? Is it burning down or building up the Kingdom of God? By God’s grace, let’s make sure that it’s building the Kingdom of God!