ARE THEY

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

Psalms 19:14
King James Version

Are the words that come out of our mouth and the meditation of our heart acceptable in His sight? I think all of us, including me, hurt Jesus many times because of what we say and the things we allow to stay in our heart.

We read in the Bible. "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be" (James 3:8-10).

Every time I read this in the Bible, I am reminded of an illustration one of my pastors used to give in his sermons. The pastor said, "There was a man who sang in the choir, taught Sunday school and did many good things but when he went home, he beat his wife."

One day every one of us will stand before a Holy God and give an account of what we said and what we did. I don't know about you but when Jesus comes back for us and He could come even as I'm writing this devotion, I don't want to have to hang in head in shame because I allowed things that hurt Him to remain in my heart.

How dare you and I go to a Holy God and ask Him to forgive us or do anything for us when we aren't willing to forgive those who hurt us? None of us are perfect, and that includes me. I've said this before and i'll say it again. Don't look to me or to your pastor or to your Sunday school teacher because we are human and fail God at times.

Keep your eyes on Jesus because He is perfect. He loves you unconditionally and He will never hurt you. It's always safe to trust Jesus because what He says, He will do. I love You, Jesus, and I long for the day when I will see You face to face.

Joanne Lowe
July 10, 2020