just ask HIM…

so many times i don’t think before i speak and that get’s me in trouble.  i’m sure that is true about you too.  rick warren says the key to handling this is to engage your mind before you put your mouth in gear. james puts it this way in chapter 1 verse 19 (msg), lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.

you first, lead with your ears.  stop and listen to what they are saying.  if you do that then you will follow up with your tongue.  then what follows is you will let anger straggle along in the rear.  that really works.  lead with your ears + follow up with your tongue and if you do it in that order then you will minimize the potential for you to get angry or you let anger straggle along in the rear.

so what does your mouth say about you?   if you had some way to record what you say, you would see yourself in a whole different way.  you really would.  it would tell you a whole lot about the direction that your words are taking you.

maybe you would hear yourself say, “i’m sick all the time” or “i can never do anything”, “things are just getting tougher and tougher.”  where do you think that kind of talk is taking you?

let me ask you, what would happen if you would go to your kids and say, “i’m sorry.  i know you are so confused because of the way i talk to you.  sometimes i say something loving and then sometimes i say something harsh.  i’m human.”

or to your spouse.  what if you would apologize to him or her and say, “i don’t always talk lovingly to you as i ought to.  i sometimes tend to be uncaring, cold, indifferent and i can be bossy and harsh.  i can be so inconsistent and inconsiderate.  please forgive me.”  ezekiel gives the answer to the hurtful way we talk.  he says get rid of all your offenses you’ve committed and get a new heart and a new spirit.

james 3.4 (msg) says, a small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds.  we need a strong skilled hand to deal with this problem of our tongue.  what you and i need is JESUS CHRIST in control of our heart.  HE is the one who will give you that new heart and new spirit.  let HIM control your life.  let HIM control your tongue.  HE is the key.  just ask HIM.

just a thought from the front porch…

real faith is visible…

for some people, faith is an intellectual trip – a matter to be studied, debated, talked over and discussed.  james here imagines this intellectual objector.  James 2.18 (niv), someone will say, “you have faith, i have deeds…

james is imagining some intellectual guy who says, “you’re into faith, i’m into works.  that’s cool.  different strokes for different folks.  let’s debate it.  you’ve got one thing, i’ve got mine.  to each his own way.  stimulate me mentally but don’t ask me to make any commitment.”

continue there in verse 18 (niv), show me your faith without deeds and i will show you my faith by what i do. 

real faith is visible.  you can see it.  it’s apparent.  if you claim to be a CHRISTian, people will be able to see it.  it’s visible.

we’ve got a lot of lady clairol CHRISTians – nobody knows for sure.  only GOD knows for sure.  faith is odorless, weightless, invisible so anybody can claim to have it. 

so how do you know for sure?  james says, show me.  if you claim to be a CHRISTian i have a right to ask you to prove it by looking at your lifestyle.  somebody said, “faith is like calories.  you can’t see them but you can see the results.”  you can’t see faith but you can see the results.

james would have made a good missourian.  the theme of the state of missouri is the “show me” state.  james is saying, you say you’re a CHRISTian?  prove it.  let me see your actions back up your words.

if i say, “i believe my health is very important.  personal health is a high priority in my life.  i believe that health is one of the most important things we ought to have.”

you say to me, “do you eat right?”  “no.” “do you exercise?  do you get your proper rest?  do you take vitamins?  do you ever go for a check up?”  “no.”  you see, it doesn”t matter what i say; it doesn”t matter what i think.  what counts are my actions. 

real faith is more than just something you think.  you can point it out and see it in people's lives.  

just a thought from the front porch…