Choose To Belong
Bond-Servant=choose to become a servant
Connected to Jesus
Quit trying to jerk His chain
He controls the chains if we have in fact bound ourselves to Him
Speak like you belong to God!
Proverbs 18:6-7
6 A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.
7 A fool’s mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
PROVERBS 18:19-21
18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
18:20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
18:21 Death and Life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Can it be that the average person spends one-fifth of his or her life talking? That’s what the statistics say. If all of our words were put into print, the result would be this: a single day’s words would fill a 50-page book, while in a year’s time the average person’s words would fill 132 books of 200 pages each! Among all those words there are bound to be some spoken in anger, carelessness, or haste. Today in the Word, June 15, 1992.
The Life Application Bible records these stats:
When our speech is motivated by Satan it is full of, …JEALOUSY, SELFISHNESS, DESIRES, DISORDER, EVIL.
When our speech is motivated by God and His wisdom it is full of, …MERCY, LOVE, PEACE, COURTESY, SINCERITY, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS.
I. Talk Like You Love Jesus
We sometimes say that a man has to eat his words. If they have been good words, they will yield satisfaction to him. He will be rewarded according to the nature of his speech.
Matthew 12:33-35
33"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
II. Talk Like You Belong to Jesus
James 3:2-6
. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Matthew 12:36-37
36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
III. Talk Like You Love Others
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. - Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)
In his book The Youth Builder, Jim Burns talks about the importance of building up young people with affirmation and trust. What he says about criticism applies to every age group: For every critical comment we receive, it takes nine affirming comments to even out the negative effect in our life. Most young people receive more critical comments a day than encouraging ones. You can have a very positive, life transforming effect when you develop a ministry of affirmation.
3. Through relationship with the Holy Spirit - guard your tongue.
Ephesians 2:29 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Conclusion
Proverbs 15:23 A man finds joy in giving an apt reply- and how good is a timely word!
Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the just is as choice silver; the heart of the wicked is little worth.
Proverbs 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue is a tree of life:
James 3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
A Poem about the TONGUE
THIS TONGUE OF MINE
Oh! Spirit of the living God
Control this tongue of mine
No knife is quite so sharp as words,
Yet words can be divine
A tongue not yielded to God’s will
Can stir up awful strife.
Lord use this tongue of mine today
To speak Thy words of life.
I want my tongue to sing God’s praise
To tell His love for me,
To speak God’s Holy name in prayer
And thanks for Calvary.
Lord help me that this tongue of mine
Shall speak Thy word in love,
That what I say will be Thy will
Directed from above
Oh! Holy Spirit, faithful guide
This tongue of mine inspire
That only words that please the Lord
Shall be my heart’s desire
So may I lead some soul to Christ
By spoken words or songs,
Then as God leads, do not forget
My tongue to Him belongs. -- Edward L. Crane
James tells us that the tongue is a flaming fire. The damage it can do could, if not cooled, last a lifetime. Satan will, at every opportunity, use the tongue to divide us and take our eyes off the prize, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Is our speech full of, …JEALOUSY, SELFISHNESS, DESIRES, DISORDER, EVIL.
Or is our speech full of, …MERCY, LOVE, PEACE, COURTESY, SINCERITY, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS.
Closing prayer:
Our Father, and our God. We love you. We praise you for you are worthy of our praise. Help us Father to use our tongues for Your Glory. Help us to honor you with our speech and to build each other up with words of kindness, encouragement, and faith. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
