|
Words of Life Words of Death…
In the
News Paper I found this article:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former President Bill Clinton warned of a slippery slope from
angry anti-government rhetoric to violence like the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing,
saying "the words we use really do matter."
The
two-term Democratic president insisted he wasn't trying to restrict free speech,
but in remarks Friday he said incendiary language can be taken the wrong way by
some Americans. He drew parallels to words demonizing the government before
Oklahoma City.
On April
19, 1995, an anti-government conspiracy led by Army veteran Timothy McVeigh
exploded a truck bomb outside the
Alfred P. Murrah
Federal Building, killing 168 people.
"
What we learned from Oklahoma City is not that we should gag each other or that
we should reduce our passion for the positions we hold - but that the words we
use really do matter, because there's this vast echo chamber, and they go across
space and they fall on the serious and the delirious alike. They fall on the
connected and the unhinged alike," he said.
"One of
the things that the conservatives have always brought to the table in America is
a reminder that no law can replace personal responsibility. And the more power
you have and the more influence you have, the more responsibility you have."
Clinton made the remarks at events sponsored by the Center for
American Progress Action Fund on the upcoming anniversary of the bombing.
He
mentioned the rancorous fight over President Barack Obama's health care
overhaul. Passage of the law elicited threats against some lawmakers.
"I'm
glad they're fighting over health care and everything else. Let them have at it.
But I think that all you have to do is read the paper every day to see how many
people there are who are deeply, deeply troubled," he said.
He also
alluded to the anti-government tea party movement, which held protests in
several states Thursday. At the Washington rally, Republican Rep. Michele
Bachmann of Minnesota railed against "gangster government."
Clinton argued that the Boston Tea Party was in response to taxation
without representation. The current protesters, he said, are challenging
taxation by elected officials, and the demonstrators have the power to vote them
out of office.
"By all means keep fighting, by all means,
keep arguing," he said. "But remember, words have consequences as much as
actions do, and what we advocate, commensurate with our position and
responsibility, we have to take responsibility for. We owe that to Oklahoma
City."
As much as I hate to
say it Bill is Right…
Words to have
consequences
We should and do
bear responsibility with what we say…
The words we use
should matter…because words hold over people life and death….
There use to be a
song or a saying that said “Sticks and Stones will break my bones but Words will
never hurt me.”
I know now that is a
lie from hell.
Words do hurt
Words cause pain
Words cause
rejection
Words cause low self
esteem
Words can even kill.
Words can cause war.
Words can break
hearts
Words can be used to
destroy:
·
Spirit
·
Soul
·
Positive attitude
·
Hope
James 3:1-10
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater
condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word,
the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we
put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their
whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven
of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever
the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great
things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a
fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth
the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire
of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things
in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 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.
Do you not see how
words can be so dangerous…
·
Think of the little child that was told
they would never about to anything.
·
Think of little child that was told they
were:
o
Ugly
o
Fat
o
Or the ones that were told they could never be as good at something as
their brother or sister.
o
Or never be as smart
·
Think of the kid that is born with a handy
cap and how mean others kids are in laughing, taunting or bullying around.
Think of the:
·
Marriages destroyed by words
·
Think of the business that are destroyed
by words
·
Think of the churches that are destroyed
by words.
And as far as the
people of God who call themselves Christians.
As James says:
My brethren,
these things ought not so to be.
The Bible says that
the wicked, fools, and angry people use words to hurt others…
·
Proverbs 12:6 The words of the wicked
are to lie in wait for blood:
·
Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth
away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
·
Proverbs 26:22 The words of a
talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of
the belly.
·
Ecclesiastes 10:14 A fool also is full of words: a
man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
Now why is it that
we as human beings have to use words of anger against others?
·
We are not in control of our situations
in our lives.
o
We let others dictate life to us.
o
When we loose what little control we have we lash out
o
We try to hurt others as they have hurt us.
·
We speak words of hurt to others out of
jealousy
o
We resent what others have
o
We have made wrong choices in our lives where others haven’t, so words
of hate or harm come from us to lower them to where we are.
·
We have pride in ourselves…two much pride.
o
When others come close to us we have to put them down by bragging about
all our accomplishments
o
Pride should be about who you are in Christ and now about what you have
accomplished in yourself to the point of lording it over others who have not
done as well as you have.
God has given us
words to praise Him with…James states in the scripture:
Out of the
same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing
Blessings should
come first…and the cursing we should leave to God!
God has given us
words to encourage others:
·
To lift them out of the darkness that
curses bring people to.
o
I said bring people to because when we are born we have a clean slated..
o
We are in neutral.
o
Then people put is in either reverse or forward and that is where our
lives lead us … till we get old enough to drive ourselves.
o
Then we get to choose what direction of life we wish to go…but most of
the time we follow the path we have set out upon unless we decide to follow our
Lord…then we change direction if we have been following the wrong road.
·
We are to use words to encourage others
when they do right so they will continue to do right.
·
We are to use words to encourage love..
o
The love of God
o
The love of marriage
o
The love of friendship
The words we speak
to others should be words of life and not words of death.
Psalms 12:6 The
words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of
earth, purified seven times.
Psalms 19:14 Let
the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy
sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Proverbs 1:2 To
know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Proverbs 15:26
The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD: but the
words of the pure are pleasant words.
The words of God
should be instilled in us.
The words of God
should fill our souls to the point that there is not room for any ill thought or
actions in our lives.
We should be as God
in our actions.
·
Out thoughts
·
Our deeds
·
Our love
·
Our voices
All should be an
example of Christ…
And for those who
are Christians…we should have shame when we speak evil of:
·
Our neighbors.
·
Our friends
·
Our family
·
Our bothers and sisters in Christ
·
Are you God…that you have to speak?
·
Don’t you know that God has no surprises?
·
Do you not realize that it is God working
in you and in others and not you working in others?
Before we Gossip do
we not need to look into our own lives and ask God to clean us first before we
try to clean others?
Matthew 7:1-5
Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be
judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And
why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not
the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me
pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own
eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then
shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
God has given us a
road to travel.
God has given us
direction on that road.
That road has many
lanes, many exits, and even many way side stations.
We pass people in
our walk with God
Others pass us in
their walk with God
Sometimes we follow
others in the same lane
Sometimes we travel
with others side by side, lanes running parallel.
Some times we pull
off into the rest area…but the one thing that is sure, for us to get where we
are going…hopefully in heaven with Jesus, we need to stay in our own lanes and
not worry about the people in the lanes next to us.
When we cross over
minding other peoples business then that is where the accidents come in.
Lives are wrecked.
We are to be
encouragers, not gossipers.
We are to love each
other and share the love of God and not give them our own opinions unless it is
asked for.
Ephesians 5:6 Let
no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath
of God upon the children of disobedience.
1 Thessalonians
4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
2 Timothy 1:13
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and
love which is in Christ Jesus.
Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is
at hand.
We are to keep Gods
word in our hearts so we to can be near to Gods heart.
There are words of
life and there are words of death.
I will close with
this…
The words of chief
Ten Bears in the movie Outlaw Josey Wales as they come to terms of an agreement
and each one of us need to make an agreement with God…between life and death.
It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in
your words of death for all Comanche to see, and so there is iron in your words
of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of
Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such
as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life.
| 
