SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/1/2013
10:04 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
Speech Can be Used to do Good (PT-1)
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Proverbs
Message of the verses: We are continuing to look at what the book of
Proverbs has to say about speech in today’s SD.
How many times has it happened to you when you went to
the doctor that he or she asks you to stick out your tongue? A doctor can tell a lot of what is wrong with
us by looking at our tongue, and in a spiritual way the tongue can cause
spiritual illnesses for a person also for what we say can hurt other
people. In our last SD we looked at how
the tongue can be helpful by bringing beauty and value, nourishment,
refreshment, and healing to the inner person.
We will continue to look at how the awesome power of words reveals
itself in other positive ways.
Our words can bring
peace instead of war. Let’s look at
Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up
anger.” Next Proverbs 15:18, “A
hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel (NIV).” We will look at an endnote on what the word “quarrel”
means. “The Hebrew word translated ‘quarrel’
has legal overtones and can refer to a lawsuit (Ex. 23:2-4). Solomon’s counsel is wise: it’s better to keep cool and speak calmly
than to argue with your opponent and end up with an expensive lawsuit that nobody
really wins.” Dr. Wiersbe writes, “Solomon
isn’t advising us to compromise the truth and say that what’s wrong is really
right. Rather, he’s counseling us to
have a gentle spirit and a conciliatory attitude when we disagree with other.”
The key in this is what the key in
many spiritual issues is, and that is the heart. What the condition of our hearts tells us a
lot of why we use the words we use and the way we use them. Do we use harsh word that hurt or as Solomon
states soft answers that are healing.
James writes “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.” James speaks of “earthly wisdom” in his
letter in James 3:17: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without
hypocrisy.” I wish to quote from my
Spiritual Diary on some of the things I wrote about James 3:17a on Sept. 24,
2003, “James writes of the origin of
Godly wisdom in verse 17 where he says it comes from above. James 1:17 tells us that every good gift and
every perfect comes from above. Our
citizenship is in heaven, our treasures are in heaven, we were born from above,
our home is in heaven, and our hope is in heaven. It makes sense then that are wisdom should come from God in heaven.
There are places where the believer looks to for
wisdom. Colossians 2:2,3 gives us the
first place to look for wisdom, “That their hearts might be comforted, being
knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of
understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father,
and of Christ; in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
The Word of God also gives us wisdom, and James has already written that we can
receive wisdom through believing prayer as we ask God. (See James 1:5) Ephesians 1:17 says that The Holy Spirit of
God is the Spirit of wisdom. “The origin
of true spiritual wisdom is God. To get
your wisdom from any other source is to ask for trouble.” (From “Be Mature”)”
Dr. Wiersbe writes “Applying this wisdom means
taking the attitude that’s described in Philippians 2:1-12, the attitude that
was practiced by Jesus Christ.”
Our words can help restore those who have
sinned. This is truly a difficult task, and I think
that one of the reasons that makes it so difficult is that we are all sinners,
and that means that if a person is involved in sin and is unwilling to confess
that sin to the Lord and it is found out about then another sinful person has
to confront him or her with their sin and so the person being confronted can
look at them and say “yes but you have this problem or that problem.” However with that being said it is the way that
Jesus describes leaders in the church to handle such problems. The passage where this instruction is found
is in Matthew 18:15-20, and in that passage we find that when a person sins (habitually)
in an area and it is found out by another person they are to gently confront
them with the sinful issue asking them to confess it to the Lord. If they refuse to do this then the next visit
with them the accusing person should bring someone else along, and if they
still refuse to confess the next step is to bring it before the church, what we
see here is that the sin and sinner has gone from their sin being private to
becoming public.
The way we do this as stated before is doing it in a
loving and firm way: “Like an earring of
gold and an ornament of fine gold Is a wise reprover to a listening ear (Pr.
25:12).” Paul writes the following to
the Galatians Church: “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you
who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one
looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted (Gal. 6:1).” Next we look at Proverbs 28:23, “He who
rebukes a man will afterward find more favor Than he who flatters with the
tongue.” Next is Proverbs 10:17, “He is
on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes
astray.” Dr. Wiersbe concludes by
writing, “Of course, during this whole procedure, we must be much in prayer,
seeking the Lord’s help for ourselves and for those we’re trying to help.”
Spiritual meaning for my
life today: Jesus said that out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and so I am reminded that I need to
make sure that my heart is right with the Lord and that the words that I speak
will be healing and helpful to others in a loving manner.
My Steps of Faith
for Today: As I read these different Proverbs I am
coming to understand the book of Proverbs in a better way. As I am convicted or have my toes step on by
the all powerful Word of God then I must remember to confess to the Lord my
failing in following the wisdom that is found in the Word of God.
Memory
verses for the week: Psalm 32:1-4
1 How blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered! 2 How
blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose
spirit there is no deceit! 3 When I kept
silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon
me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
Turning
Points Wisdom for Today: “Anger is an
acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to the
person on which it is poured.” (Author
Unknown) “For I know that You are
gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.” (Jonah4:2b).”
3/1/2013
11:19 AM
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