The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Life and Death - the Tongue"
"We must expect an ongoing emphasis by our Lord to voice confidence in Him rather than complaint about circumstances, situations, and conditions."
Can you imagine the Lord Jesus Christ ever complaining during His earthly lifetime?
He never did, of course, although He was doubtless tempted much to express discontent rather than truth and faith. "We have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, and yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Never did our Lord succumb, however, and never did His Father or others hear words of selfish disgruntlement.
The same Christ who overcame every temptation to murmur and grumble now lives in born again believers by His Spirit. Moreover, God works in believers to conform us to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). We must expect an ongoing emphasis by our Lord to voice confidence in Him rather than complaint about circumstances, situations, and conditions. "Do all things without murmurings" (Philippians 2:14).
We require the power of the Holy Spirit for such utterance: "the tongue can no man tame" (James 3:8). Our responsibility involves the acknowledgement of our Heavenly Father's will in the matter: "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Ephesians 4:29). We then trust that the life Christ lived during His earthly lifetime is now the life He lives in us during our earthly lifetime. "I will walk in them… Walk even as He walked" (II Corinthians 6:16; I John 2:6). We submit to God's will in the confidence that He works in us to replace complaining with praise, ingratitude with thanksgiving, and unbelief with faith. The Christ who never complained now lives in us to enable our overcoming of a temptation we all face, and must consistently and increasingly overcome. Solomon referred to the matter in the most serious terms: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21). We must therefore take the matter most seriously, indeed, as a matter of life and death.
Many of us have uttered the old platitude (I certainly have): "I can't complain. Wouldn't do any good anyway." True, but this is not the half the truth regarding murmuring. Something dies when we complain, both in us, and in others that hear the voicing of our discontent. "I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed" (Psalm 77:3). We put faith to death regarding whatever matter our complaint addresses. Again, "death… in the power of the tongue." Conversely, when we submit our tongue to the Lord and avail ourselves of His grace to affirm utter words of faith and life, we bless our hearts and our world with edification - "Life… in the power of the tongue."
We were created by one named in Scripture as "the Word" (John 1:1-3). Believers were redeemed by the same glorious living Word (I Peter 1:23). Little wonder that our words bear such significance and impact of life and death. The Psalmist knew this and prayed one of the wisest requests found in Scripture. We do well to frequently join him, using our words to request the power of the living Word, the Lord Jesus, to lead us in using our tongue for life rather than death…
"Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
(Psalm 141:3)
Weekly Memory Verse
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
(I Timothy 3:16)
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