EVERY CARELESS WORD? FOR REAL?
- Key Verse
"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36-37)
READ THE PASSAGE
Central Truth
Our actions and our words do not in any way determine our salvation. They simply provide a tangible proof of our faith. If we truly love Christ with all our hearts and listen to the Spirit in us, we will want to produce "good fruit."
Reflections
I'm not gonna lie. This passage really got to me. My first thought when I read it was, "EVERY careless word? For real?" (See my Traveler's Log title.) Because I'm generally a very sarcastic person, my alarm should be understandable. And then I got to the part about my words condemning me or justifying me.
Remembering that our faith IS NOT about works or words made me feel a lot better. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
But all of this can be a little confusing. No, our good deeds or lack of them do not determine where we go when we die. But what we believe will absolutely, necessarily, irrefutably motivate every single one of our actions (or words). If we have truly given our hearts to Christ, then as "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matthew 12:34), every little thing we do will be filled with Christ and His love. This is the "fruit" discussed in verse 33.
An active faith with complete trust in God cannot be without works. To quote James 2:18, “But someone may well say, 'You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.'” Now don't get me wrong. We are all human. We will mess up at some point or another. Most likely, we will mess up many times at many points. But this passage is talking about the sum of our actions. In general, are we characterized by Christ's love and the fruit of the Spirit? Or, do we consistently let ourselves be ruled by our own selfish desires, thereby producing "bad fruit"? Questions to ponder.
Discussion Questions
1. Am I producing more "bad fruit" or "good fruit"? Maybe a little hard to quantify, I know; but it deserves examination in each of our lives if we wish to be fully devoted followers of Christ.2. If someone else was asked Question 1 about me, would their answer match mine? This one might take some actual asking to get a good answer.
3. What specific areas of my life aren't up to par on the whole "good fruit" thing? And how can I address those specifically?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What does it mean to produce spiritual fruit? (Galatians 5:22-23)
2. What kind of fruit are you producing?
3. What helps you produce good fruit?
Melody
February 9, 2010 06:18 AM
Good job, Shelbi. Sometimes I forget that "a gentle answer turns away anger" and my initial response is to be snippy. Unfortunately, this is most true with the people I love. I am praying that a gentle spirit and spiritual fruit is MOST evident by my family.
Sasha
February 9, 2010 08:34 AM
Well Done. This was a great reminder to start the day~ Thanks!
Jimmy Ratcliffe
February 9, 2010 08:53 AM
Great message Shelbi. Thanks, this is just what I needed today.
Jonathan
February 9, 2010 09:05 AM
Both insightful and well written. You are wise beyond your years....
Katie
February 9, 2010 09:45 AM
Excellent, thought provoking devotional Shelbi! Thank you I enjoyed it.
Dave Delph
February 9, 2010 10:56 AM
Thanks, Shelby, for your insight, thoughts, and response using scripture. What a challenge it is to make our words count...to bless or curse. Thankful for the influence you are having in life!
Mike Shelton
February 9, 2010 11:19 AM
Shelby, great devo today! LOVED IT!!!
Cheryl Boyd
February 9, 2010 01:49 PM
Great devotional today, Shelbi! I especially loved your questions. You aren't going to let us off easy today, are you? That's a great thing! This passage and your reflections on it really stopped me in my tracks today. Thanks so much for spurring me on!
Blaine
February 9, 2010 05:45 PM
Shelbi: I enjoyed your take on today's sripture well done! Keep producing the good fruit. I was wondering who in your family did you pick up the sarcastic gene?!?
Daniel Bembenek
February 9, 2010 09:41 PM
Thank you, Shelbi. I have been thinking upon this very thing a lot lately. I do my best to be a good example of a hard working individual at my job, but then I harden a lot of peoples' hearts by complaining about others' work ethics. I need to be more positive. Our works must follow the words of our mouths, if either are at odds they will be less effective
Wendy
February 9, 2010 10:20 PM
Fantastic insight brought to us in down to earth language! My sister works in China for their government teaching English in one of the Universities. She is not allowed to say she is a Christian missionary, but God opens doors to the Chinese people for her every day. You may want to check into this program. They have summer "immersion camps" where pre-university kids go to polish some of their English skills that use college kids from the US to teach. The organization is English Teachers for Asia(ETA)and you can google that and find them. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Best Regards, Wendy
Kirk McJunkin
February 10, 2010 04:22 PM
Great work Shelbi. Not only was I encouraged by your words but that you wrote it! I cannot wait to see how the Lord uses your special giftedness. Is there someone in your family that is sarcastic? I never noticed.
wendy
February 10, 2010 05:37 PM
Shelbi, the web address is : englishteachersforasia.com They go by ETA in name.
Bart
February 11, 2010 10:31 AM
Shelbi, Thanks for reminding me to stay the course as it relates to speaking from a heart of compassion and desire to understand others, instead of being too quick to speak and judge. You have blessed me today. Thanks.