By Your Words

There are so many people in this country speaking about our constitutional right to freedom of speech; and it's true that we're guaranteed that. The problem lies in the fact that far too many of those same people think that it means that they can say whatever they feel like, in any manner whatsoever, to whomever and about whatever they choose, and that there will be no consequences.

As we've seen over the years, that, unfortunately, has been the case a lot of times; and that's something over which we really have no control. But we've also seen what happens when people fail to control their tongue. As James said: "Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be" (James 3:10).

You do understand that James was talking about believers, don't you?

Why do we as Christians think that we're somehow different than the unregenerate if we do as they do, speak as they speak, and think as they think? Are we going to try to excuse ourselves by claiming that "we're still just human; but God's grace covers us"?

I want to tell you something that every believer should know: if we've accepted Jesus as our Lord, and claim that we're following Him, then we're NOT just human! The Holy Spirit of God dwells within us to empower us to be able to overcome our carnal humanity, and to allow Him to have authority over us. And His authority should extend to our thoughts and word and actions.

Don't take what I'm about to say wrong, but - forget about the historical Jesus! In other words, we need to understand that Jesus not only came as our substitutionary sacrifice, but He also came to be an example of what is expected of us if we claim that we're a son of God. So, we should go beyond just reading ABOUT Him, and allow His Spirit to embed those things in our lives.

Every person is going to come to the time when they're going to have to give an account for their choices, their actions, and their words. And, as followers of Jesus, He's requiring us to be different. It's not impossible, because He's given us the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what He requires. But, if we CHOOSE to not be different, then there's a price to pay!