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Bring Back the Joy --- B B t J . O r g
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THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK
Has anyone ever said something and you felt like you got hit over the head? In How to Change the Heart , one of my points was to renew the mind. I wrote about the importance of studying the Bible, aka the Word of God. Every time I pick up the Bible, I find something else to direct my steps. It is so important to study the Bible. But why is it important to actually apply the teachings? Duh, isn't that obvious? -- what's the point of learning something if you don't use it? Well, that's not exactly where I'm going with this thought. In the study I attended last Friday, someone brought up Titus 2:1-8 . What really hit me was the second half of verse 5 in the KJV: "that the word of God be not blasphemed." Look to see the wordings of other translations. The word blasphemed is also translated maligned, dishonored, discredited, shamed. Oooooh!!! In other words, this scripture is telling us that we are God's representatives to the World. If we do things that are hypocritical, other's know it. It's not just a reflection on us, but on God. Think of it this way. The world has general standards of behavior for children: don't interrupt your elders, say please and thank you, don't talk with your mouth open, wash your hands before eating...(am I living in a dream world?)...I think you know what I mean--you probably have your own list. When we see a child openly disobeying or doing something that does not meet an expected behavior, our judgmental brain turns on. Am I the only one who has ever thought "Hasn't their parents taught them better than that?" This is the way non-Christians think when they see Christians disobeying God. Just because they are non-Christians doesn't mean they don't know acceptable standards of behavior or that they've never been exposed to Bible teachings. After all, well-meaning Christians seem always ready to preach. People notice how others act. 99% of the time, we may be on our best behavior, really exhibiting our beliefs. It only takes one to set a bad example that may be remembered for ages. Another thing to think about is that a person may dismiss one bad example as a fluke, a bad day, a misunderstanding, etc. But experience is cumulative. After seeing Christian after Christian doing something hypocritical, the impression is bound to stick. Eventually, someone is going to start questioning what kind of God has these people as his representatives. People start whispering "who do these Christians think they are?" I think back to all the bad examples that I've set. I've gossiped, I've slandered, I've been strifeful, I've been greedy, gluttonous, envious, and critical. Not a pretty picture. I don't like these traits in other people either. So that's why I am reading, studying, and praying. So that I understand God and can release the mind of Christ that is already within me. So that will be exhibited instead of my fleshly nature. I've been thinking about this quite a bit. For the most part, we make donkeys of ourselves when we open our mouth. The answer?? Quit opening one's mouth. That's easier said than done, isn't it? So the answer is to start by taking every thought captive II Corinthians 2:5 (NIV) . That's another way of saying "think before you speak." As I said in Love One Another , "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I believe that these two maxims are a good beginning. If we think before speaking or acting, we should do more good than harm. And our actions will not be a poor reflection of God. And when others speak of us, as the Young's Living Translation says "the word of God may not be evil spoken of." |
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