Monday, February 6, 2012

Honor God with Our Mouths.

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“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation

of my heart be pleasing in your sight.”

Psalm 19:14 (NIV)



“For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks”

Matthew 12: 34 (NIV)



I confess I used to have a very bad habit; I was careless with my speech. I went through a time of when, if I didn’t say those words, I thought them.

One day at work, I met a woman whose habit caused me to think about how she sounded, how I might sound. She would say those words that took God’s name in vain. She even used that one word that no one likes to hear. A little bit later she talked about going to church. Deep down, I knew this wasn’t the way we were to talk. We have to be mindful of God’s Word on this issue.

When I decided I wanted to write. I purchased a second hand electric typewriter. It wore out and my husband bought me a new electronic one for one of my birthdays. It had correction tape and neat ways to make the font bold. Also, I could set my line spacing. The ribbon was in a cartridge, which meant no more nasty fingers after changing it. But, there was one issue I had with this machine.

The ribbon cartridge and the correction tape spool would not go in place for me, causing the typewriter not to function. I sometimes have a short temper. Dealing with anything that doesn’t work brings it out of me. I yelled, screamed, and said all sorts of bad words. Our son came to my rescue. He showed me how the cartridge and the spool had to click in place before the mechanism will work.

I realized that I had been very careless with my words. “What if the Lord would have come at that moment?” Later, I shared my experience with a lady from our church. She understood why I felt so guilty about my behavior. I asked her if I could call her when I would need to change the cartridge and the spool and ask her to pray for me. She consented to this arrangement. And, yes, I did just that.

When I find myself out of sorts with what has been placed in front of me, I have to take a deep breath, whisper a prayer, and relax before I can fulfill the task I have been called to do. Following this practice has saved me grief and helped me as I try to honor God.

10 comments:

  1. This is an area where I allow myself to get tripped up sometimes. I appreciate the reminder!

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  2. Wow. What a great method of keeping your mouth in line, Cecelia! Can I call you next time a customer at work wants a refund on a product they've had for too long, and then broken it?

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  3. Karen:
    Thanks for stopping in.It can be very easy to fall into the habit of using offensive words. But God can help us break it.

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  4. Jeanette:
    Thatnks for coming over. If you want to pay the long distance charge, then feel free to call.

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  5. Wow Cecelia, what a great accountability system!

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  6. Always a timely reminder. It can happen just that quick.

    I understand.

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  7. Cecelia,

    This is a good reminder. I will say things under my breath when frustrated. Then I pray for God to help me be patient.
    Dottie

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  8. Sarah:
    Thanks for your thought. We all need some help from time to time. She was a good friend. I know I have some others who would do the same for me. Two of them have.

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  9. Rhonda:
    Thank you for your thought.
    I believe it was John Wesley that said even after we reach sanctification, we still have a small part of our heart that is subject to worldly feelings. (Something like that) I believe he went on to say that it is our job to look on the sanctified parts when we have issues.

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  10. Dottie:
    Thank you for your comment. I fully understand about the frustration issue. When I catch myself, I immediately ask God for forgiveness.

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I would be honored to hear what you think about this.

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