“A difference in words is a very awful and important difference; a difference in words is a difference in things. Words are very awful and wonderful things, for they come from the most awful and wonderful of all beings, Jesus Christ, THE WORD. He puts words into men’s minds. He made all things, and He made words to express those things. And woe to those who use the wrong words about anything.”
Charles Kingsley (1819–1875)
We should guard our words. Words have power to uplift and power to tear down. Words have power to heal and power to destroy. As Christians we have been taught to discipline our actions, to “keep from sinning”. But, shouldn’t we give as much diligence to our words? Words are a gift from God. Like any gift, however, words can be abused. The words that we speak, the words that we type, and the words that we post on social media have power.
Here’s some practical advice:
filter your words before you speak, type, or post. Think over your response before putting it out there.
you don’t have to give an opinion on everything. This might be the most valuable of all advice.
sometimes it is better to say nothing than to say something. Actually, often this is good advice.
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1. The right thing said the wrong way can make it worse. It’s important to say the right thing the right way.
“speaking the truth in love” Ephesians 4:15. When in a confrontation, make sure your own motive is pure.
How loose we are with words, forgetting that our words are a representation of the Word! Lord, have mercy on us!
“Truth hurts”. We often think of that statement in the sense of speaking truth to someone for their own good, to confront them with something wrong. Yet, in this passage of Scripture, we see truth spoken to the Truth, Jesus, in the form of hurtful mockery.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” (Luke 23:35)
They mocked Jesus with His very deeds, His titles, His true character. The enemy mocks us with truth but twists it to “prove” truth in a way or time that is not God’s will.
Jesus did save others. He did not save Himself at the time because He was saving the world at that moment. By dying, Jesus was actually proving that He was God’s Messiah, the Chosen One. His first mission on earth was to die for our sins. However, at His second coming, He will rule and reign the world from Jerusalem. If He had shortcut His initial purpose, all of us would be eternally lost. But because He is the Messiah, He stayed on the cross to extend salvation to the world.
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” (Luke 23:36-37)
Jesus is the King of the Jews. He is the King of kings. Yet, He knew that His rule would manifest later in history. By saving Himself, He would not have been crowned king.
That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians 1:19b-23)
It was because of His death and resurrection that God put Jesus above all. Everything is under His feet because He was willing to die for our sins. The people mocked Him as a king and told him to save Himself, but it was His death that heralded His divine coronation.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39)
The criminals wanted to be saved from their crossed and mocked Jesus with the truth of His Messiahship. The truth is that Jesus was saving them at that moment, if they so chose to receive it. The salvation was not a temporal escape from a cross but eternal salvation.
Often the enemy attacks us with truth. However, the enemy desires us to usurp God’s timing to have the truth manifest now. Jesus is Messiah, King, the Chosen One and much more. But if He had forced the truth instead of trusting God’s timetable, His purpose of saving the world would be thwarted. Instead, He chose to endure the pain, endure the mockery, suffer unto death so that we might be saved. In our own lives, we must trust God’s timetable so that more lives can be transformed to the glory of our Risen King!
A messy journal entry is straight from my prayer journal. Sometimes, I write things down that are easier to transcribe (or fix some of the grammar and thoughts) then try to “tidy up” and make into a decent blog post. On this post I did add an additional thought to the end.
Thoughts on Deuteronomy 2:4-5,9
Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own… Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.” (Deuteronomy 2:4-5,9)
God gave the land. He delegated the boundaries. The Lord even gave property to the enemies of Israel! He kept His Word to Esau and to Lot despite their unfaithfulness. Our Lord is faithful to His Word. Did knowing this encourage Israel to believe that what God did for others He would do even more for them?
Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the LORD gave them as their possession. (Deuteronomy 2:12)
Esau fought for the land. They acquired the land because the Lord promised the land. If God fulfilled His word to Esau, then the people could trust the Lord for acquiring the land for Jacob (Israel).
Trust God. He is faithful to His Word. What He has promised, He will fulfill. Be encouraged by His fulfillment of His word to others. Do not compare or be jealous. Instead, let it increase your faith for what He will do for you.
The entrance of Jesus into this world was beginning of His entrance into all the mess of our lives. He left the perfection in heaver in order to subject Himself to our shame, loneliness, dysfunction, poverty, prejudice, tragedy so that He could join us in our suffering. He bore all the effects of the curse in our lives from the moment He was born until He died on the cross. He entered the pain of Christmas so that we may find life because of Christmas.
My grandmother would never leave the house if the laundry machine was still washing. Decades earlier, her washing machine leaked when she ran to the store. From that day on, she decided to never leave the house until the wash was done. She would never trust a laundry machine again.
I would chuckle at my grandfather waiting impatiently for the wash cycle to end so we could go places. Yet, I have to admit, I am often like my grandma. I do not know if I can really trust what is left behind. My obsession does not include washing machines. Instead, I show my lack of trust in the Lord to handle situations if I have to leave them behind. Surely, the God of the universe needs my help in “fixing” circumstances or “helping” people.
God does not need our assistance. If He tells us to go or to do something, we have to trust He is able to take us where He wants us to be as well as take care of who or what we leave behind. The shepherds are a great example of a group of people who trusted God to take care of what they had to leave.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. (Luke 2:8-17)
When the shepherds went to Bethlehem, they had to trust God to care for their sheep. They left the most helpless animal behind in order to do what God had told them to do. The shepherds had to trust the Lord to protect the sheep when they left the sheep behind. The sheep were their livelihood. Each sheep represented a paycheck. The shepherds had to trust God that He was their provision when they left their sheep behind. Their work as shepherds was to be with sheep. They had to trust God with their reputation and what others would say when they left their sheep behind.
The Lord will watch over whatever or whoever we leave behind to follow His will. What have we been called to do? How often have we talked ourselves out of obedience because of what we had to leave behind? It is not easy to leave but we must trust God, for not only where we are going but also for what we are leaving behind.
When we leave things behind, God will provide for us. We can be assured that when we follow His plan, the Lord will take care of our needs. I heard Tony Evans once say, “Where God guides, He provides.” When we step out in faith in the place He leads us, God will take care of us in amazing ways! We must obey His will, despite who or what cannot come with us. We show our faith by believing and acting upon the truth that God alone is our provision.
When we leave people behind, God will defend us. Others may critique what we do, but God will have the final say. I watched a documentary of Hudson Taylor. He was criticized for his mission work and methods in China. He left behind the traditional methods of reaching people, even the traditional ways of dress for an Englishman. He cut his hair like a Chinese man and wore the native dress. It was scandalous at the time and many spoke against him. However, his ministry grew into one that still sends out missionaries today, hundreds of years after he began his work!
The shepherds left the sheep behind and encountered Jesus! Because they did, other lives were impacted as well.
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:8-18)
What or who is God telling us to leave behind? We must leave! When we do, we will encounter Jesus! Then, we will experience God’s miracle in and through our lives and others will be changed!
