Fat Lip

After we paid the course
fee, we turned the corner only to see a huge line in front of us. I
was disappointed because the line was a 45 minute wait, just to tee
it up for the first hole. However, it was a blessing in disguise
because it allowed us time to sit and chat. I was so happy to see
him. We reminisced about the old days and told stories. While
storytelling I accidentally used profanity, which is something I try
not don’t do anymore. In high school and college I was a good kid,
but would use profanity around the guys. It was just part of the
norm. I was surprised to hear myself let it slip out of my mouth. I
was even more surprised to hear it happen more than once.

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not
let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is
helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may
benefit those who listen.“

A few nights later I was
reflecting on my time with Jeff and how my mouth and actions were not
reflecting the love of Christ. I was ashamed and embarrassed. I know
it is not enough to try and be a good guy… my daily life needs to
reflect God’s love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is
not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not
delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

God calls us to love each
other. At the beginning of the month we had our big squad debrief.
The reoccurring theme for the debrief was the power of words. They
asked us if we were speaking life or death into people and
situations. In one demonstration the speaker (Gary) asked the
strongest guy on the squad (Tres) to come up to the front. He asked
Tres to hold his arm straight out to the side. Gary explained that he
was going to try and push Tres’ arm back down to his side while he
was speaking life into him (example: You are a man of God; God loves
you; etc). During this time Gary could not push down Tres’ arm. In
the next demonstration Gary did not want to speak death to Tres, so
he asked Tres to think about something negative about himself. This
time when he tried to push down Tres’ arm it was instant. There was
no fight. Tres was so stunned that he asked to do it again and the
result was exactly the same. Gary explained that he did this
demonstration with some of his employees and even had people go out
of the room while others spoke either life or death to the person and
the results were the same. Here is what the bible says about the
power of the tongue.

James 3:5-6 “Likewise
the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The
tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.
It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on
fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

As Christians we should
strive to be more Christ-like. Our goal should be to see others as
God does and focus on the good in each other. Each day we have the
opportunity to speak words of life (by affirming each other and
building each other up). Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard if we
actually stopped to think about the Holy Spirit
who lives in each of us. If we pictured saying things (the good and
bad) directly to God (the Holy Spirit who lives in us), I wonder how
much it would change our interactions with each other and our
conversations about each other.

Matthew 12:32 “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be
forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be
forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Acts
2:38 “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”

Romans
5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out
this love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

1
Corinthians 6:19 “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are
not your own;”

Sometimes I wonder why
the church body has just as much trouble with slander, defilement,
and gossip as the rest of the world (non Christians). If we are
called to be different, why aren’t we?

1 John 2:9-11 “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his
brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in
the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But
whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the
darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness
has blinded him.”

James
3:9-12 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it
we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same
mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can
both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My
brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?
Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”

If
we are truly living the life that God calls us to live, what should
that look like? Will we ever be perfect? No. Are we going to sin?
Yes. That is why we need a savior. This is where the free gift of
grace and forgiveness comes into the picture. The good news is Jesus. He intervened on our
behalf to rescue us from our sin. We don’t deserve to be forgiven, but that is what unconditional love looks like. However, that does not give us a
free “get out of jail card” either.

James 4:11-12 “Brothers,
do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or
judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the
law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is
only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.
But you – who are you to judge your neighbor.”

Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not
judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you.”