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Choose Life! Lesson 5 Deuteronomy 30:19-20
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore, choose life, that both you and your seed may live. That you may love the Lord your God and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cling unto him, for he is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land.
James 3: 2 & 10-13 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Does a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. If you read this entire chapter you will see it is dealing with that member of our body that always gets us in so much trouble. We can try to act like we are doing right, but that mouth will always reveal where we are at. Because the Jesus said
Matthew 12:34 For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. So as you see, if you want to choose life, you need to get your mouth under control. I want to give you the message translation of James James 3 We get it wrong nearly every time we open our mouths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of life. A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything, or destroy it. It only takes a spark, remember to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary! You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue, it’s never been done! The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father, with the same tongue, we curse the very man and woman he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth. My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you? Do you want to be counted as wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do; Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way your live, not the talk that counts. The words of our mouth are so powerful. We have no idea what they can do to others, and to ourselves. In these lessons, we are talking about choosing life. And yet we continue to choose death with the words that come out of our mouth. It may not be something that sounds so bad, but it can stop whatever positive thing you want to see happen to you. You want victory over your problems but keep confessing “I am never going to get out of this situation” Whatever it may be. Whether you need healing, finances or victory over habits, you will not see victory, unless you watch your mouth. We have to stop tearing down what we are believing for every time we open our mouth. We need to speak the word over our situation and we will see results. We will never walk in the fullness of what God has for us as long as we are negative and speaking words of doubt and unbelief. On the other hand, we can be saying all the right words concerning our life and then speak negative, hurtful things about others. As we see in James, this will not work. We negate one with the other.
This is a powerful passage of scripture, not to be taken lightly. James was one of two brothers that were called the sons of “Thunder” Now I take that to mean they he and his brother had tempers. And that they pretty much said whatever came off the top of their head, and got in trouble for it. But walking with Jesus had an impact on their lives. Watching him every day for three years they heard his words and saw his gentle ways. And that he chose his words wisely and carefully. Jesus was compassion on this earth. He was the perfect man. He never uttered anything out of his mouth that would hurt others or himself. He walked in God’s wisdom.
James 3: 17-18 Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life, and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle, and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced. You can develop a healthy robust community that lives right with God and enjoy it’s results, only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor.
This was what Jesus was on this earth. He was a perfect example for us to pattern our lives after. We need to stop and think “What would Jesus Do?” That should be what we do in every situation we find ourselves in. That is the only way we will really see “Life” the way God intended. God is so gracious and merciful and patient with us. And he expects us to be the same with others. If we want what God has for us, we need to act like Jesus. It will not work any other way. Start today listening to yourself and the words that come out of your mouth. You will be surprised to hear what you say every day, once you make a determined decision to listen to your own words. Too often we will speak without thinking and that is usually what gets us in trouble, and hurts others. Pray this prayer every day Psalm 141: 3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips
The Bible has a lot to say about the mouth, tongue & words. Here are just a few verses
Proverbs 4: 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Or the Message version Don’t talk out of both sides or your mouth; avoid careless banter, white lies, and gossip.
Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words there wants not sin: but he that refrains his lips is wise. Proverbs 13:3 He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction. 1 Peter 1:3 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
If we want to choose life, we need to “Tame” our tongue and teach it to talk right. Then and only then will we really
Choose Life!
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