Ever think about heaven? I mean, really think about it? I do! The more we see the deterioration of this world, the more I think about heaven and the difference we shall find and experience there. Some, dare I say most, do not. These days we can hear more church folks make idiotic statements such as one is “so heavenly minded they are no earthly good,” and other rubbish like that. I have heard some say that saints of God shouldn’t “not” want to be here etc… I want to ask them sometimes, what is it that makes you love this place so much? Is it the over saturation of wickedness? The embracing of every sin demons can bring to the mind of man to do? Is the attitude of no standards for living that is embraced by world and church alike? Is it preoccupation with the gaining of money and material goods that floats your boat? What? What is it exactly that captivates you to the point of not wanting Christ to return, or not wanting the Lord to take his bride from the earth “yet”? Sigh…

I believe that true believers are feeling the tug of home. The desire to see Jesus, our beloved Savior, face to face has grown to a point that just knowing He is with us and feeling His presence is no longer enough to satisfy. The evil of this world is so great that it grieves our hearts and mind. The abundance of sin accepted and pushed, the level of lunacy that humanity has stooped too, causes in us a strong desire to quit this place. Our souls groan from discomfort here. We cannot feel at home in this world to which we do not belong. Nothing on this Earth matters or satisfies. We are being weaned, drawn away from what we have become accustomed to here and closer to Jesus – our heart’s desire. Our priorities are being more strategically directed now. It’s not about us, but about God. Our desire is to please Him, to try and get as many to hear the truth as we can because we can feel that time here is up, and the door of opportunity is about to click into its locked position. But what of the church in general?

It is my goal, over the next few blog posts if I am available to do so, to present some food for thought questions. It is my prayer that these questions will be a springboard of self-examination. A catalyst for important subjects often left unexplored.  

Now (to start this off) the Bible says that God is love, and if we do not love then we do not know God (1 John 4:8). You can check out other posts on this blog that break down love according to Scripture; a couple can be found here and here.  My question for us today is,

If God were to determine your love for others solely on your words, what would His conclusion be?

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Mat 12:36-37 KJV)

We live in a world inundated with mindless chatter. From the Church House to the White House, and nearly every other house in between, there is a constant barrage of babble. How many times do we really take time to think about the words that we say BEFORE we say them and after?

Jesus said we will give account on the day of judgment for every idle word spoken. What will you say for the words you have spoken? Are your words ever injurious, false, or malicious? How many thoughtless and useless words are spoken regarding another, perhaps even regardless of them? How many times have you said something hurtful, or potentially hurtful without caring or even realizing the individual could have heard or will hear what you said?  Will your words be welcomed in heaven?

These are things that often fail to come to mind in the midst of tongue wagging. Let us give more thought to what we say before we say it. Jesus said from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matt 12:34; Luke 6:45). When you stand before God, what will your words reveal about you? Keep that question in mind as you engage in conversations and thought sharing throughout your days.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. (Col 4:6 ISV) [Everything you say should be kind and well thought out so that you know how to answer everyone. (Col 4:6 GW)]

For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of sea-animals, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind. But no one can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. By this we bless God, even the Father. And by this we curse men, who have come into being according to the image of God. Out of the same mouth proceeds blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (Jas 3:7-10)

They are not to insult anyone or be argumentative. Instead, they are to be gentle and perfectly courteous to everyone. (Tit 3:2 ISV)

“You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken. Your words will be used to judge you—to declare you either innocent or guilty.” (Mat 12:36-37 GNB)

God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret. (Ecc 12:14 GNB)

The prophet Enoch, who was the seventh after Adam, said of these men, The Lord came with tens of thousands of his saints, To be the judge of all, and to give a decision against all those whose lives are unpleasing to him, because of the evil acts which they have done, and because of all the hard things which sinners without fear of God have said against him. These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men’s position in the hope of reward. (Jud 1:14-16 BBE)

Lord we repent of our careless chatter, of using our words in ways that do not reflect you! Forgive us for ignoring the importance of our what we say. As citizens of heaven, our words must be welcomed there! Lord, help us to be disciplined in the all we think, say and do. Help us oh Lord to be obedient to You in our conversations. We need to be swift to hear and slow to speak — tasting our words before we say them. Let our words be directed by the Holy Spirit, saturated in love, and seasoned with salt. Help us to rein in our frivolous talking and think before we speak, using our words to build others up and not tear them down. Lord, we want You to get the glory out of the words that we speak. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Until next time,