In speaking with a friend recently I was reminded of the intricacies of the English Language. He used the word "procrastinate" and spoke of how he is practicing using it, now that he knows what it means. No, he isn't illiterate, he's just French!!!
It made me pause and reflect on how often do I use words without knowing their meaning. Or more than that just how cautious am I with the words that I speak. A couple of weeks ago one of the pastors of my church spoke on the "Power of Words" and to be watchful that our words do not express rudeness, criticism, complaint, nor gossip. PD further advanced the topic (www.danperkins.blogs.com) by reminding us of the ditty "be careful little mouth what you speak..."
James (Jesus' brother) speaks of the power of the tongue. He reminds the church that the tongue is like the small rudder of a ship, the rudder directs the large vessel wherever the pilot desires to sail. Furthermore a single word can be like the spark that ignites the fire that destroys the mighty forest. He goes on to speak of how we praise our Father yet turn around and curse our "brothers" who are made in the very likeness of the Father that we praise. (James 3)
With mere words the universe was brought into being: God said "Let there be light...AND there was light." GOD SAID...AND THERE WAS... The power of words, the power of the tongue that directs these words - they have the power to heal and harm, they have the power to create and destroy; yet I fear I often fail to give recognition to such power. I am careless with the words that pass through my lips. Off hand I cannot think of the reference - be it biblical or not, but there is a story that speaks to the failure to give heed to the power of words. It goes something like this: the words that we speak are like those of feathers cast into the wind. We may regret the words once they have passed from our lips, but trying to retrieve those words is like trying to retrieve the feathers that have been cast out into the world and blown from end to end.
With this in mind, it is not my intent to 'wait until tomorrow' to place a watchful guard over the words that pass through my lips, but to hold captive every thought and even more than that but to remember the positive power of the words that I speak, to use that power to bring honor and glory to God.
JUST FOR FUN
It made me pause and reflect on how often do I use words without knowing their meaning. Or more than that just how cautious am I with the words that I speak. A couple of weeks ago one of the pastors of my church spoke on the "Power of Words" and to be watchful that our words do not express rudeness, criticism, complaint, nor gossip. PD further advanced the topic (www.danperkins.blogs.com) by reminding us of the ditty "be careful little mouth what you speak..."
James (Jesus' brother) speaks of the power of the tongue. He reminds the church that the tongue is like the small rudder of a ship, the rudder directs the large vessel wherever the pilot desires to sail. Furthermore a single word can be like the spark that ignites the fire that destroys the mighty forest. He goes on to speak of how we praise our Father yet turn around and curse our "brothers" who are made in the very likeness of the Father that we praise. (James 3)
With mere words the universe was brought into being: God said "Let there be light...AND there was light." GOD SAID...AND THERE WAS... The power of words, the power of the tongue that directs these words - they have the power to heal and harm, they have the power to create and destroy; yet I fear I often fail to give recognition to such power. I am careless with the words that pass through my lips. Off hand I cannot think of the reference - be it biblical or not, but there is a story that speaks to the failure to give heed to the power of words. It goes something like this: the words that we speak are like those of feathers cast into the wind. We may regret the words once they have passed from our lips, but trying to retrieve those words is like trying to retrieve the feathers that have been cast out into the world and blown from end to end.
With this in mind, it is not my intent to 'wait until tomorrow' to place a watchful guard over the words that pass through my lips, but to hold captive every thought and even more than that but to remember the positive power of the words that I speak, to use that power to bring honor and glory to God.
JUST FOR FUN
What the dictionary has to say about "procrastination." It means to defer action, to put off an action until another day or time. The word was first recorded in 1588, and is taken from "pro" meaning "forward" and "crastinus" meaning "belonging to tomorrow."
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