Saturday, June 19, 2010

Daily Light - June 17, 2010

Daily Light from the Lighthouse
"Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For God is in heaven and you on earth; therefore let your words be few."
Ecclesiastes 5:2

If there is any one thing that universally gets people in trouble, it is our tongue. The Bible tells us that without the Lord's help it is impossible to tame. How many times can you remember your mouth getting you into some serious trouble? On the other hand, how many times can you remember your mouth getting you out of trouble? I would imagine that it has gotten you into more situations than it got you out of. You are not alone in that, but we still can't use the excuse that everybody else is doing it. We must learn to be responsible with all that God has given us.
Solomon in all his wisdom knew that the mouth could be a destructive force. He warned us about speaking before we think through what we are saying. This is especially true when we open our mouth to God. How many times have people told God that they would do certain things for Him if He would get them out of their current situation? They made a vow to God based on the emotions of the situation and not with their heart. Most of the time those vows go unfulfilled. Therefore, we have lied to a holy God and treated Him as if He didn't really matter. I love what Solomon encourages us to consider. First, he tells us to remember where God is, in heaven. This makes me recall the beginning of the Lord's Prayer: Our Father which art in heaven. Why is that so important? It makes us see that He is not like us at all. He reigns supreme and is higher than the thoughts and ways of man. It also reminds us that He is not the creation of man's hands or man's imagination. Those who worship false gods utter repetitive prayers in hopes that their god will eventually hear them. There is not a chance of our God being deaf. He hears our cries, and He knows our hearts. We must be wise as we come before Him. Second, we are to consider that we are on earth. Simply said, we are God's creation that was made from the very dust that we walk on. We only have life because He breathed it into us. It is with humility and gratitude that we stand before our holy God. With that in mind, let us consider carefully our words as we pray and vow to God. Fewer words often mean greater consideration before one spoke. We are walking into the throne room of God when we come to Him with our vows. Let our words be few and let them be wise.
May you speak to a holy God with an open heart today!

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