Aug 17, 2008

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but  perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Prov. 15:4 NKJV.

Words by: J. Harkins

Paul was a tent builder, So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.  Acts 18:3 NKJV. If you can accept this, his occupation and his ministry were one and the same.  His ministry was based on building us up, not to tear down: For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, 2Cor 10:8 NKJV. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction. 2 Cor 13:10 NKJV.

 As we go through our day we must on a continuing bases stay aware of the words we use. So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; James 1:19 NKJV.  Knowing always that: Death and life are in the power of the tongue,  And those who love it will eat its fruit. Prov 18:21 NKJV. We must always season our conversations with love, keeping in mind that the words we use can either cause serious pain to another or they can cause a fountain of joy to spring up inside someone. I met a woman 96 yrs old who still remembers the negative words spoken by her mother, almost a century later As she recounted them you could see the hurt in her eyes, and hear the pain in her voice. We must understand that God formed the earth by his words, so too can we form people by our words. By our words we can cause people to do one of two things, either they will take off like a rocket and aim for the stars, or they will go spiraling downward only to crash and burn.
Words to our children:
When speaking to our children, we must be very careful. We must not use words like stupid, dumb, retarded, or the worst of all, you will never amount to anything. These words and many more like them must be totally eliminated from our vocabulary when we are speaking to children.  Those words can cause them to do a number of things, one being they will simply accept your words as truth and sit down and never aspire to being anything or they will attempt to prove your words wrong at any cost. Even at the cost of hurting others.  Children’s minds are fertile soil you can either plant seeds that will grow and bare fruits that the world may partake of.  Or we can poison the soil with our negative words and nothing will ever grow. Think of a time in your life when someone told you that you were stupid or couldn't do something, or a time when you were told you were wonderful and would succeed--remember how these words made you feel, how you were impacted. 

Words to ourselves:
We must also be very aware of the words that we say about ourselves.  If we continue to run around saying things like: “O, I will never get that and that will never happen for me.” Those words will come to past in our lives. Creations stories have long recognized the Power of Words, the Power of Naming.  Words--what people say and think about us and what we say and think about ourselves and our lives--plant seeds of expectation which grow to beliefs, and what we believe, we cause to manifest. 

Words call things into being.  With words, we can create or re-create.  Words can be tools or traps, depending on how we use them, depending on how others use them for us or against us.  Words create impressions, images and expectations. They build psychological connections. They influence how we think. Since thoughts determine actions, there's a powerful connection between the words we use and the results we get.

Poorly chosen words can kill enthusiasm, impact self-esteem, lower expectations and hold people back. Well chosen ones can motivate, offer hope, create vision, impact thinking and alter results. I have learned over time that my words have power over my thoughts and actions. They also impact and influence people I speak them to.

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I remember saying those words when young to try and convince myself of its truth in the face of painful words thrown my way. Unfortunately, it is far from true. Verbal insults, verbal abuse, and the power of words to affect your emotions and actions are well demonstrated in science. For example, scientists have found that just hearing sentences about elderly people led research subjects to walk more slowly. In other research, individuals read words of 'loving kindness' showed increases in self-compassion, improved mood, and reduced anxiety. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth by his spoken word, we must understand that our words can create and they can destroy. We must make a choice as to what will come out of our mouths, Our lord said it best when he said:  “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart   brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matt 12:33-37 NKJV. As believers in Christ let us all make the tree a good one.

If a man’s life be lightning, his words are thunder ( medieval Proverb)

 

Aug 9,2008

 

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:20 NKJV.

What does it take? J.Harkins

 It takes courage to stand up for truth, justice, and what is good. How often have we all stood by and heard a friends twist the truth Or commit an injustice for their own gain? And we just stood by and said nothing out of fear that; if we did we would loose their friendship? It takes serious courage to stand up for what is right even when we know that we may loose something because of it. It takes a very strong man or woman to see an injustice done to someone and speak out, we are called to stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves, it is written: Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4 NKJV. If you should find yourself in a particular situation whereas a grave injustice is being committed, do not keep silent don’t think to yourself that: (it was just a coincidence that I was there) It is written: The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD….Psalm 37:23 NKJV. If this is true then wherever we find ourselves at any given time, it has already been preordained by God, One of the many attributes of our God is that he is omnipresence, that is; he is everywhere at once! And it is written: I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings Jeremiah 17:10 NKJV.

I see God as a master chess player, moving his pieces across the board. The pieces are me and you and the board being the earth. Placing us in situations to see if we will keep his statues, precepts and commandments, to see if our ways are the ways of his son! It is written: For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…… 2 Chronicle16:9 NKJV. Is your heart loyal to him? If it is then you have learned to love the things that he loves: He loves his saints Deut. 33:3 NKJV. He loves righteousness Ps 11:7 NKJV. He loves justice Psalm 33:5 NKJV.He also loved the world that he gave his only son for it John 3:16 NKJV. And last but not least, He loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV. And we must also hate the things that he hates. A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:17-19 NKJV. We must embrace the former and shun the latter.

What does it take?
For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:20 NKJV. Our lord has said that our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, In other words we are called to come up a little higher, if we are to enter into the kingdom of God. Now I want you to pay close attention to this next scripture, now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”Luke 17:20,21 NKJV. The kingdom of god is within you! Those are profound words, to put it simply the kingdom of heaven is a state of being! In scripture we have been likened to pilgrims and sojourner’s in this life, Moving from one state to another always evolving, Ever changing, Little by little being conformed to the image of the son. Paul says in Philippians 2:12 NKJV. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; In other words we must be diligent to practice what we hold dear.(The word of God). Paul said: For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.Romans 7:15 NKJV. With practice comes perfection, Therefore we must allow the fruit of the spirit to have precedence in our lives: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Gal 5:22,23 NKJV. If we put these characteristics into practice long enough they will become second nature.

What does it take? It takes patience to support another person who is trying to rehabilitate himself patience is not just waiting, but waiting with a good attitude, and with hope knowing that god has said: So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please,  And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. , Is 55:11 NKJV.
 It takes concern to donate your time and money with people less fortunate. It takes love to consume less so that more can be shared with others. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Is 58:7 NKJV. It takes commitment to follow through on promises made. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. Matt 5:37 NKJV. It takes compassion to see “Christ” in every other human being. It takes dedication to continue loving those who act in “unloving” ways. It takes perseverance to work through a personal crisis. And most of all it takes faith to keep believing God’s light will shine in the darkness.

Few serve truth in truth because only few have the pure will to be just, and of those again very few have the strength to be just (Nietzsche).

 

GEM Ministries is published out of Phoenix, Arizona. I would like to extend my sincerous thanks to all the writers who help make GEM Ministry what it is. Sherri Lynn our resident poet. Anna Popescu and Jannie Davidson, I thank God everyday for each and every one of you. John Christopher.