“I was working in my front yard yesterday,” Stan began, “and a neighbor mother came by with her young son.”
Continuing, he said, “The woman and I were having a nice conversation about gardening, but her son was getting a bit impatient. At one point he said something totally inappropriate and his mother reacted quickly.”
“How?” I asked.
“She said something like, ‘You better watch your mouth, young man!’”
“Did he mind her?” I replied.
“He did,” Stan said, “and I complimented the mother on her quick discipline as they headed on their way after some more conversation.”
“Later, I was thinking about that,” Stan continued, “and I saw a real correlation about how God says to me that I had better watch my mouth.”
“In what way?” I asked.
“At least two ways,” Stan replied. “In the first instance, the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, points out that I am to confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord. There’s nothing more important that I could ever say with my mouth.”
“Secondly,” Stan continued, “in James letter there are all sorts of instructions for how I am to control my mouth on this side of eternity. I have the choice with my mouth to build up or to tear down; the choice to manifest what God has for me to manifest or to manifest the opposite.”
“Words matter for both sides of eternity, Stan said.” I’m all set for when I step into eternity because of what I said with my mouth in confessing Christ.”
“However,” he concluded, “while I’m still here, when God, through the Holy Spirit, says, ‘Watch your mouth!’, I listen and take seriously His admonition to manifest God, and not manifest self or the world, or the flesh, or the devil by the words I allow to come out of my mouth.”
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If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. Romans 10:9
And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. James 3:6.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for your provision of salvation through confession of faith through my mouth. Thank you, too, for your instructions on how to control what comes out of my mouth on this side of eternity. I confess that too often what I allow out of my mouth does not manifest what you intend, but manifests the opposite. Please forgive me. And please, Father, help me in controlling my mouth so my words are of praise, honor, glory, and manifestation of you, not of me, and not of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Things to think (and journal) about:
1. What is your biggest take-away from this devotional?
2. What does this devotional say about God and about us as His people?
3. What is God saying to you to do personally?
4. Who can you share this with to make a difference?
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Comments, questions, suggestions, and the like can be addressed to The Storyteller at: waiting4thetrain@gmail.com.
Waiting for the Train 