Out of the heart . . .

 

An old Sunday school song has these lines: “O be careful little tongue what you say, O be careful little tongue what you say. For the Father up above Is looking down in love. So, be careful little tongue what you say.”

I’ve been in groups where people ‘walked on egg shells’ being careful what they said in fear of offending others or giving away true thoughts. This is not the intent of the song, nor does it reflect the intent of the NT verses such as:

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (James 1:26)

Controlling what I say is not about wanting to make an impression. It is more about having a heart filled with the right things. As Jesus said,

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34–37)

Paul repeats it with, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29) These verses are saying that having our hearts right will result in having our words come out in a pleasing manner.

Last night our small Bible study/prayer group met for a barbecue. The conversations were a reflection of the care and unity of our hearts, a true example of Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” That does not mean we agree on everything, or that anyone was being cautious with their speech. Rather, the unity of our love for Christ and for one another flowed easily. We came home feeling blessed and cared about, without any qualms about words we said or words we heard.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Everyone knows how easily unkind words can slip out. James wrote:

 . . . . For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. (James 3:1–12)

The answer is learned. The Spirit of God continually teaches me to let Him fill me so my heart is in unity and filled with love for others. As the psalmist said, this is incredibly good and pleasant, and it is also entirely possible — because of Jesus.

PRAY: Jesus, I’m so thankful that You live in Your people and we can visit with one another in freedom of speech, without needing to guard our tongues in fear of saying something out of place. Your Spirit is our freedom and the source of good, pleasant, kind thoughts that come out of our mouths. You bless us with such amazing grace and enable us to have “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter 3:8)

PONDER: Think about the wonder of God who grants such grace that His people can disagree about the best car, best hockey team, even about minor points of doctrine, yet love one another deeply and without needing to be anxious about saying the wrong thing and being sent to a corner or told to shut up. 😊

 

 

We have all we need . . .

After Jesus died and rose again and returned to heaven, His followers gathered in one place. Did they know what would happen next?

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4)

The Spirit was poured out in a visible sign of fire. At this time, His anointing equipped the disciples to share the Gospel with the multitudes who arrived to celebrate the harvest. They were amazed to hear God’s good news in their own languages but wondered if these disciples had too much wine. This tells me that the arrival of the Holy Spirit changed their behavior from grief over Jesus leaving them to great joy and celebration!

Peter defended the disciples saying they were not drunk but doing exactly what had been prophesied by Joel:

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:17–21)

Christians often speak of the last days as a future time, but the Bible indicates that the last days began with the Ascension of Christ. It will end with a short time of wonders in the heavens and signs on the earth, but those ‘last days’ began with God pouring out His Spirit, first on the disciples and then on all people. Lives will be changed when those who hear call on the name of the Lord and are saved.

Many long for another Pentecost, another great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Tozer notes that the first time it happened, the people were “all together in one place.” If this is a condition for another event, the togetherness might be possible, but hardly likely would we be in one place! There is no building or place large enough.

That said, God has always encouraged oneness of mind among those who are His. As the psalmist says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1) Over and over the Bible exhorts us to “Let brotherly love continue.” (Hebrews 13:1) This love is at the heart of unity.

Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. (1 Peter 3:8)

It is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit, that same One who was poured out at Pentecost. And lest we forget, that was not the only time it happened, only the first time. As the disciples shared the good news, they ran into some opposition. The Spirit at first gave them the ability to speak in different languages — now they asked for boldness and powerful abilities that would convince people that what they were telling them was from God . . .

“And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:29–31)

^^^^^^^^^^^

Precious Jesus, as I read this, I’m delighted at the reminder that the Holy Spirit gives His people whatever we need to do whatever You want us to do. It might be boldness. It might be the words to say to a visitor or a neighbor. It might be an unusual ability to help someone. It might even be the strength to call sin sin. Grant us the love and unity we need to speak the same thing, to agree on the basic truth that You did for our sin, then rose the third day. Because You are alive we can enjoy new life and the promise of eternity with You. Because the Holy Spirit is alive, we have all we need.