Words Reflect Relationship With God
O Jerusalem, cleanse your hearts that you may be saved. How long will you harbor evil thoughts?
-- Jeremiah 4:14
“Pretty is as pretty does.” That’s what my great Aunt Murl used to say all the time. What she meant, of course, was that your words and actions determined whether you were really “pretty” or not.
So many people are content to preach to others, to pronounce judgment, to make accusations. Yet those same people refuse to look inward and see their own darkness. I guess it’s sort of like being so focused on the speck in someone else’s eye that you miss the plank in your own eye.
Words easily reflect the state of the heart and the soul of a person. They tend to overshadow actions and, sometimes, even intentions. Because they hurt.
“Why are you being so mean to her,” one woman asked another.
“Because she’s just so ugly,” came the reply.
“You’re kidding right?”
“Look at her! She’s ugly.”
“So you don’t like the way she looks and that somehow justifies treating her badly,” I ask.
Laughter. And not from me.
Because it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t right. And, honestly, it wasn’t even true. She was just using it as an excuse for her own nasty behavior.
This woman tells the world she is a Christian but her words say something different. She’s condemning someone else, but really she’s condemning herself. Her words reflect a dark heart and Jesus lives in the light.
Most of us know people like this. They show up for church on Sunday, smile and make nice, then go home badmouthing everything and everyone. Then they spend their week doing as they please, forgetting all about the God they claim to serve. Until the next Sunday, when they once again make an appearance at church.
When Jesus comes into our hearts, when we give our lives to Him and vow to serve God, our hearts change. And when our hearts change, so do our words. What do your words tell the world about you? And, more importantly, what do they say about
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