I have a friend who frequently sends her Bible studies and/or daily devotions to a group of people. I asked her once if I could share her words of wisdom on my blog and she said she'd be glad to let me. This posting I received today and thought it was something to pass on...
Hey there, ya'll!
I got somethin I wanna share with ya. While doin my mornin devotions, I came across somethin that really spoke to me. I had my bible (Amplified Version) and was just readin away, when I came upon Proverbs chapter 15. As we all know, Proverbs is just FULL of really cool stuff that thumps ya on your head and gets your attention. Well, today was no different. So grab your bible and your helmet (protective gear for that thump), and I'll show ya what I learned today. We'll be reading verses 4 and 7.
Proverbs 15: Verse 4 (NIV) "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." Um.....what's a tree of life? Seriously...think about it. What does it mean? Uh huh.....and when you speak with that tongue, is it life words? Or "death" words? Death....as in, hurtful, hateful, depressing, negative words. Well, sad to say, I'm guilty of a few of those! If you read throughout your bible, we're told to be careful how we use our mouths. We gotta pay attention to the words comin out that mouth. We ain't supposed to pollute others, or ourselves, with negative garbage comin thru our lips.
Did you notice in that verse where it says 'spirit' with a small 's'? You know what that means, right? It's not talkin about the Holy Spirit. It's talkin about our own human spirit. Here's a statement that really hit me: "Depression of the human spirit is another problem created and magnified by wrong thoughts and words---our own or those of others." So, how many times have you heard yourself or someone else speak negative garbage.....and just allowed it? You didn't stop it or nothin! You just let it go. Or how many times have you said stuff and didn't even THINK what was comin out your mouth, until later....then it hit ya. Don't lie, man...I know I've done it. But according to this verse, that crushes the spirit---YOUR spirit. Have you ever seen/met someone who's spirit is totally crushed? It'll make ya sit right down and bawl like a baby, trust me.
And by speakin trash, we're not only crushing our spirits, but also those of others. Now, when ya think about it....what about these young people runnin around spoutin off the garbage that they hear others sayin? Have you actually listened to what they say? It's horrible! And do you think "Where is that kid's mama? If that was my kid I'd....." and so on. Well, do you suppose that teen has a crushed spirit too? In this negative world....I'd bet they do. So, maybe the next time we hear garbage comin out someone's mouth, how about if we see their 'spirit' instead of their negative facades? How about if we instantly, on the spot, say a prayer for them? And if we did that to everyone we see, what kinda impact would that have? (Um...not just on them but on you too) Yeah, cool, huh?
Now, real quick, check out verse 7---"The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools." If you're wise, you spread knowledge. If you're foolish, you speak whatever comes to mind. Which one are you? Most people nowdays don't use wisdom when they speak, do they? All ya gotta do is look at some of our world leaders to know the answer to that question. Do yourself a favor---ask God to help you identify AND correct any negative foolishness in your life and in place of it....help you to use wisdom instead. My mouth has gotten me in so much trouble in the past but the way I see it.....I'm a work in progress. And it's verses like this that slap me back into place. Hope this has helped you as much as it did me. Did you feel that thump? Hurts, don't it? LOL!
Still learnin to serve,
Regina
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