Tuesday, June 16, 2009

A Piece Of My Mind

My husband and I were working through a video series called "War of Words" with 5 couples from our church.  As the title indicates it was about the heart of communication.  (There is a book by the same title by Paul Tripp).  During one of the lessons, Dr. Tripp was commenting about Romans 6:13, "And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."   

It struck me in a way it never had before, that there are only two options.  At any given moment, I am either offering my members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, or I am offering my members as instruments of righteousness to God.  There is no middle ground.  That is a sobering thought.  I was thinking mostly of my mouth.  I am either allowing God to use it to communicate His words or I am allowing Satan to use it for his purposes.  When I am choosing to speak my mind, I assure you it is rarely to communicate God's words.  Oh, sure I may think I'm just speaking the truth but because it is wrapped around the motives of my own heart, it ceases to be the truth and it becomes my slant on the truth.  I've had a tough week with my mouth.  I don't mean cursing or anything like that, I mean how I have attempted to use my words to either get my own way or to try to convict another of their sin, or to change them with my words.  How foolhardy!  Dr. Tripp said, "Since the King has come, change is possible."  I didn't hear him say, nor will I ever, "Since Diane came, change is possible." Although I know that, I regularly act as if that is exactly what I believe.    If I just say this, or say it this way, they are bound to see the problem.  So often, I only make the problem worse.  

I need to remember two verses that need to govern my speech. James 1:19, "let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..." and Ephesians 4:29, "Do 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."  WOW!  Sure doesn't sound like "speaking my mind" now, does it?

Diane
 

No comments: