Are Our Words Reckless Or Wise?

“Are Our Words Reckless Or Wise?”

By Zach Wood

Proverbs 12:18

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

In our weekly small group, we are studying the book of James and we just covered chapter 3 where James talks about taming the tongue.  It’s a great and powerful passage encouraging us that words have such an impact in our lives.  This passage in Proverbs is one we looked at that also talks about how powerful words can be. 

We use words every day and all through the day many times.  Some of us have jobs where we are talking to people all day long and others have jobs where communication is a little more limited, depending on where you are and what you do.  Regardless, we all use many words each day, whether we are talking to family, friends, co-workers or even strangers. 

I have to wonder how conscious we are all being when we talk to others.  Do we really think about what we are going to say before it escapes our lips?  Are we being wise in what we say and how we say things to others?  James is very clear that our words can be like a forest fire if we use them in negative ways.  Those fires can spread fast!  Of course we don’t want that to happen, but when emotions run high, it’s amazing what comes from us. 

This passage in Proverbs says a lot about the things we say to others and how the words can affect, either negatively or positively.  We are all different in many ways and we take things differently depending on who is talking to us and how the person is using their voice.  Many factors go into each conversation and the intentions behind the words.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be encouraging and benefiting those who listen to us as Paul told the church in Ephesus.  We should be imitators of the Almighty God Whom we serve. 

No matter what our circumstances, we should be striving to be positive and encouraging through all our conversations with others.  I want to be that way more and I hope that you all do as well.  It’s tough when we experience difficult discussions with others where we disagree, but we must always remember to do our best to be encouraging.  Reckless words can emotionally scar people for life.  Are we thinking before we speak?

Are You ALIVE?

“Are You ALIVE?”

By Zach Wood

Ephesians 2:1-2

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.”

When I read this passage, two key phrases grab my attention: “you were” and “you used to”.  These are both past tense phrases that Paul uses as he talks to the church in Ephesus about the lives they used to live without Christ.  Paul is encouraging these people and saying to them that they used to live without hope, but not any longer.  They were dead in sin and they used to live by the world, but not anymore.

As Paul told the church in Ephesus, the message is the same for us who are in Christ.  If you have life in Jesus Christ, then you have a past that He has forgiven and redeemed you from.  You “were” dead in sin and you “used to” live apart from the ways of God, but now you have a new life that is completely different that Christ gave to you.  Are you living that life?

When I think about my past and the ways I used to live, I remember the desires which did not bring praise or pleasure to God at all.  They were moments of temporary pleasure and I never found satisfaction through those moments.  They were fun for the time being, but when I discovered new life in Christ, I realized a whole new life I should live that would be pleasing to Him.  Not only would this life be pleasing to Him, but it would also show people around me a life they should be living as well.

Often I find the past trying to haunt me and pull me back to the old life I once lived.  Sometimes, it’s easy to get off-course from the life Christ has called us to because the old life comes back to invite us for one more round of fun.  We would be very wise to not give in to those desires, but to hold onto Christ and trust that He will help us through and turn away from those desires once again.  We are made ALIVE in Christ!  Do we truly believe that and are we living a life that shows it? 

It is my hope and prayer that we would all really desires, deep down, to live this new life with great joy every single day.  The desire we should have, from the time we get up to the time we lay our heads to rest, is to serve Christ and live a life that is ALIVE through Him!  Are you ALIVE?

Bring It Back!

“Bring It Back!”

By Zach Wood

1 Chronicles 16:8-11

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.  Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.  Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”

My favorite part of this passage is the last sentence where we are encouraged to look to the Lord and His strength and to seek Him always.  “Always” is a hard thing to do.  We know we are to always follow Him and let Him lead our lives, but it’s often hard to stay focused.  We have the best intentions to do what He commands for us to do and we desire to serve Him, but it’s often hard to follow through and always be obedient. 

We deal with so many distractions in life and things that grab our attention away from where we should be.  Ever heard this phrase, “Bring it back!”?  I’ve heard this phrase used in various situations, usually a trainer or someone else in charge trying to get the attention of an individual or group of people.  It’s easy for most people to start out strong in whatever task they take on.  What’s really hard is to stay focused and diligent with what’s at hand. 

There’s no human being on this planet that hasn’t dealt with distractions in life.  If you haven’t, sorry but you’re not human.  We all struggle with keeping our attention and mind set on goals.  We try, but often we become distracted.  We often do this in our walk with God.  Maybe some days or weeks we start out strong and are determined to stay focused and not get off track.  However, somehow, we lose our focus and steer off the course from where God wants us.  We’re giving Him praises and we’re sharing His love with others, but then other things take our attention away from that and from Him and we get really sidetracked. 

We must remember the enemy, Satan, is very good at distracting us.  In fact, he’s a pro at it!  When we become distracted and start following the ways of this world instead of Him, we must bring it back!  We’ve got to bring our focus back to looking at Him.  When we stay determined to seek His face, we keep our focus on Him.  When we get off course, we must bring it back!

Our Main Pursuit

“Our Main Pursuit”

By Zach Wood

Proverbs 21:21

“He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”

We tend to pursue a lot of things in life, don’t we?  We pursue a job that we long to have and perhaps further our education in order to be considered for the job.  We long for a house that will be perfect for our family and we look and then pursue a plan in order to get the house.  Our hearts long for someone to share life with and we start the dating process to pursue a relationship that will hopefully both bring a companion into our lives and bring glory to God. 

The list could go on and on, depending on what all we choose to pursue in life.  We choose to pursue many things throughout our years.  Some of those things we end up finding out aren’t a great choice after we pursue them.  It’s a learning process.  Sometimes we have a wonderful adventure while other times we experience much pain from the pursuit.  This is the journey of life. 

It’s no surprise to any of us that our ultimate pursuit should be in following a life that is dedicated and committed to Jesus Christ.  He is our ultimate pursuit.  We should desire, above all other desires, to pursue a life of righteousness and love.  When we pursue that kind of life, nothing can prepare us for the wonderful blessings and adventures God has in store! 

Sometimes, we fall into the trap of pursuing earthly desires more than pursuing a committed life to Christ.  It’s not that we don’t love Him or want to follow, but the things of this world seem better and more promising and we lose our main focus.  After a matter of time, we come to find out that Jesus Christ truly needs to be our ultimate pursuit of life.  There is no greater life to pursue than the life we have in Christ.  No life is more promising.  He promises a crown that cannot be obtained by following the desires of this world.

May our ultimate pursuit in life be to attain a life more like Jesus Christ each and every day. There is no greater pursuit!  

His Many, Marvelous Wonders

“His Many, Marvelous Wonders”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 40:5

“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, the would be too many to declare.”

I always feel so inspired after reading from the book of Psalms.  This is a powerful passage explaining how marvelous and wonderful the wonders God has done all around us!  It’s so easy for us to become bogged down and overwhelmed by everything going on in our lives that we often forget and neglect the little and big things God is doing all around us and all that He has already done. 

We easily become so focused on things we need to do, plans that need to be made and all the responsibilities we have that we neglect to take the time to see what is all around us that God has given and the many wonderful things He has done.  I know I become so consumed with my daily routines that often I just pass right by a marvelous wonder God wants to show me.  Sometimes, I just stop and take a quick look and go back about my routine and I don’t really take the time to soak up the moment and let it sink into my mind and heart. 

I believe so often God is trying to get our attention, amidst our busy days, and redirect our focus to the wonderful wonders all around us that we seem to be missing.  It’s not that we purposely are trying to ignore what He wants to show us, but we are so wrapped up and consumed with our agendas that we simply forget to just stop for a while and take a look around at what’s happening.  Possibly a beautiful sunrise or sunset that will soon fade or something happening with one of our kids that we might miss and not be able to cherish if we just continue on our way. 

I encourage all of us not only today, but every day, to take the time to look around and just stop what we’re doing and take it God’s wonders that are all around us.  Are we paying attention to all the marvelous wonders He has done?

May Our Love Truly Abound

“May Our Love Truly Abound”

By Zach Wood

Philippians 1:9-11

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

What an amazing prayer that Paul had for the church in Philippi.  I think back to the 1 Corinthians 13 where Paul talks so highly of love.  Love is important as we seek to shine Christ’s light everywhere we go and in all we say and do.  Paul’s prayer here is that the church abound more and more in love.  When we love others sincerely, we really take the time to get to know them, pray for their needs and see what we can do to encourage them.

When we practice loving others as Christ loves us and gave Himself for us, we develop a stronger love and a more dedicated love through servanthood.  Our hesitation and reservation to help and love others becomes less because we become more dedicated and committed to serving.  This is a journey and a process we grow through as we come closer to God.  How could we possibly live a life of servanthood and devotion to Christ and not be a dedicated follower? 

As our love grows stronger for God and for others, we develop a desire to seek out needs and how we can encourage others more.  As our love continues in depth and insight, the desire in us should grow even stronger to do all we can to shine His light and spread that love He gave us.  It wouldn’t make sense that our love for God grow, but not for others.  It doesn’t work that way.  When we come to understand more of His love and how we need to show that love to others, the desire should naturally grow as well to love those who don’t know Him and share that love and light with them. 

The prayer that Paul has for the church in Philippi applies to us just the same.  God desires for our love for others to grow so that we can discern what is best and be pure and blameless as we continue to grow and shine for Him.  

The Desire To Encourage

“The Desire To Encourage”

By Zach Wood

Psalm 19:14

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

One book of the Bible I always enjoy reading through is the book of Psalms.  The pages are filled with inspiration and encouragement.  These words from David are no doubt amazing.  How often you do you find yourself going through your day and asking God for your words to be pleasing and encouraging to others?  Do you start your day asking God to give you strength and guide your tongue through the day so that you will share encouraging words with others?

We’ve recently looked at this idea of how we need to be positive and not negative toward others in our relationships each day.  Why would we have any other desire than to be encouraging, uplifting and beneficial in what we say?  I don’t’ believe our intent is ever to discourage others or tear them down.  However, we have an enemy that knows where our weaknesses are and how to shoot us down so that we become negative and begin using discouraging words.

I really believe it’s important to start out the day with prayer asking God to give us strength, perseverance and loving words to share through the day with others.  We need Him to guide our day and to help us live our day to be pleasing to Him.  It sounds simple, yet very hard to actually live out. 

Go back and read this passage again.  Will you choose to make this a prayer from your heart each day with sincere desire to do everything you can to please God by encouraging others?  May the words we use each day and the thoughts and attitude of our hearts be pleasing and glorifying to Him.  We surely want the Lord to be pleased with all we do, right? 

Be intentional to start your day with the desire to please God by encouraging others and a positive attitude in your heart.