The Tongue

   My thought today is on the Tongue. The Bible says in James 3:8 that "no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." The tongue is like the rudder of a ship that guides one down the path of Life.(James 3:4) The Word of God says that "Death and Life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it shall eat its fruit."(Prov. 18:21) It is NOT my opinion which I desire to express, but only what is the mind of Christ. My opinion carries no weight, but the Word of God abides forever. Man's opinions change like the wind, but God's Holy Word is a foundation stone, a Chief cornerstone, that we can build upon.
  The mouth of the righteous should be totally different from the mouth of a wicked person. Why? Because Jesus "dwells" or lives inside of the believer. When someone is born again, there is a sudden change in their speech. To continue to speak vulgar statements is to be in disobedience to God. Our mind, our hearts, and our spirits need to be bathed by the word of God. Romans 12:2 says "And be not conformed to this world (worldly patterns), but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."(ESV)
   The Bible says that "the tongue of the wise brings healing." (Prov 12:18b) "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." (Prov 10:11) With our mouths, we can either bring a blessing or a curse. With our Tongues we create our future, and can lift up or tear down our friends, family, and even ourselves. The Bible often says to "Consider your ways" or "Consider your Words.""When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise."(Prov 10:19)
   The mouth of a Godly man, or as the scripture says "The Mouth of the righteous (Man) flows with wisdom." (Prov 11:31) Our words are very weighty. There is much substance in our words, yet many times we speak very frivolously. We are all "guilty" of speaking sometimes when we should be silent. Words can cut like a dagger, and words can lead one to death. The Bible again says that "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver." (Prov 10:20) There should be a great difference between what the righteous say and what the ungodly man speaks. The should be a very wide chasm between the two. Can a fountain send forth both bitter and sweet water? It cannot!
   I like to think of myself as an encourager and a wordsmith. Words are a great power to have, and the ability to persuade with words go back to the ancient merchants of old. Any good Politician knows that it is not just what you say, but how you say it. God alone knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, but whatever is in a man will eventually come out of his mouth.
   Back in the late 1970's, I read a good book called "Beauty Care for the Tongue" by Leroy Hoopman. It was a very good book on taming the tongue. Another book that I read and have started to read again is "The Tongue- A Creative Force" by Charles Capps. If the tongue is the rudder of the ship, then what we speak can be and should be very important to us and it definitely is to God.
   With our tongue, we can build up a friend or tear them down. With our Tongue we can Bless God and Praise the Name of Jesus. We can speak with new tongues in a Heavenly language. With our tongues, we can sing the high Praises of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The choice is ours!

A Few thoughts on "Being a Sinner"

   All of my life, it seems as though I have heard sermons on sin, and about sinners. The Bible clearly says that "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23 KJV) Man is born in sin according to God's Holy Word (The Bible = Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men[e] because all sinned." (Rom. 5:12) Through Adam, all of mankind are found to be "sinners" before God.
  The problem that I hear so often amongst believers, is that they still claim to be sinners after they have received Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of their life. If a man is a sinner before finding salvation, and he is a sinner after salvation, then what is the purpose of salvation? My Bibles says that "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2Cor. 5:17) The Bible states that "All HAVE sinned" but if we are in Christ, "For our sake he made him to be sin (our sin sacrifice, the Paschal Lamb) who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor. 5:21)
   When we come into this world, we are born as sinners. It is not my point to show my way of thinking, but only what is the "mind of Christ." Jesus' opinion is all that will matter when we appear before the Throne of God. Not everyone who sins is a sinner. Let me give you an example: If a kid was to puff on a cigarette and then throw them down and not pick them back up, he would not be considered a smoker. A smoker is one who does it all the time and enjoys it. A sinner sins because he is a sinner. That is his nature to do so. A Christian cannot be a sinner, because that is contrary to Christ and the nature of God. Is it possible that a Christian can sin? Yes, I think most of us would say "Obviously!"
   Is it possible that a person can sin from time to time and not be considered a "sinner?" Yes! We have an Advocate with Our Father in Heaven, and His name is Jesus. Through Faith in Jesus Christ and the atoning blood of Jesus, we are justified by our Faith in Christ. How does Jesus and Our Heavenly Father see us? He sees us as the "Righteousness of God through Christ Jesus, our Lord." We are now "Children of God." A child of God does not go looking for sin. A child of God's desires is to please the Father.

12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:12-17)

  Sometimes it is a difficult thing to understand. We fight and struggle with our flesh, and we will continue to do so till we die. Most, if not all, of this battle is in the mind. Only Christ can circumcise the heart. 

   Sinners are from hell, they have the nature of the evil one, Lucifer or satan. Sinners enjoy their life of sin. They enjoy things like lusts, alcohol, partying, carousing, drunkenness, fits of rage, hurting others, and are totally self seeking. This is NOT the nature of one who is called apart as a Christian. Do we often fall short as a Christian? Definitely! But there is a wide chasm between being a Christian and being a Sinner. I once was a sinner, but when I came to Christ, HE made me a new creature and I was born again. My heart has been circumcised via the power of His love and the work of the Holy Spirit. Now I am no longer a sinner, but now I am a Saint of God, a Child of God, an heir to His Kingdom, and I have been adopted into the Family of God! What a rich reward we have as His children. We are heirs and joint heirs to His Throne. Now we have the same power living in us that raised Jesus from the dead. 

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me[e] anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14) Now as heirs of Christ, now we can do the works of Christ, because He lives in us as the Divine Symbiont. What a privilege to be a Son or a Daughter of the Most High God!