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James 3:5,9-10 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Ps 141:1-3 O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You. May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.  Many times, in dealing with others, we say things we wish we could take back. We would like to reach out and pull back the hurtful things that slip from our mouths. What has slipped out is usually what is hiding in our hearts.
In Psalms, David prays that the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart be pleasing to the Lord. It is easier to control our thoughts than it is to control our words when emotions run high. We use less discretion and less self-control when we are angry. James tells us it is easier to tame the beasts of the field than to control the tongue. It is easier to change the direction of a large boat than to control the little tongue filled with evil and deadly poison. We can, with God's help, change our conversation to what pleases the Lord. We can pour out blessings and encouragement instead of criticism. It isn't easy, but it is a great victory over the power of the enemy. Carefully choosing our words, slowing our response until we have better control of the words we say will bring honor to the Lord of our lips. The Lord has told us to be angry but sin not. He said be slow to anger. Offering up soft words instead of harsh ones can change the direction of the conversation. Consider carefully what you want to say before you allow the words to cross the barrier of your lips. Remember that the Lord knows your thoughts before you do. We can't hide them from Him.
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Luke 5:4-5 When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."  Fishermen usually fish at night in the shallows because that is where the fish are gathered. They prefer the cooler water at night. They follow their food. What Jesus has just asked is completely against the normal way of life for them. What He is asking is for Simon to follow Him, not follow what makes sense.
We spend our lives doing what we are told makes most sense. Our churches pay advisors to tell them how to fill the pews. We look at what works for other churches and follow their lead. We keep fishing in the tried and true way and still our young leave in droves. Our senior Saints don't want to change. (We've never done it that way before!) When we are willing to let down our nets according to what the Lord tells us, we may be amazed at what happens. We can change the focus from filling our pews to healing our present members. We can take the initiative and seek reconciliation among those who have been hurt by the church. We can stand in the gap for what has happened in the past, learn from it and move on. The leadership of the church is where the movement can start. If the Lord is calling for repentance, that is where we must start. If He is calling for revival, it also must start from the top. When the leadership is willing to confess, repent and start over, they can set the church on fire with the Holy Spirit. It is an amazing thing to see the leadership excited about serving again. That excitement will filter down to the members, spread to the families and on out from there. We forget the first love of serving the Lord. We get tangled up in the nets of everyday problems and lose the joy of the Lord. He is reminding us to let down our nets in a new way. He is asking us to fall in love with Him all over again. Where is he asking you to let down your nets? Matthew 13:16-17 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men long to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.  In Nehemiah 8:8, the people were rejoicing because they had the Word read to them so that they could understand the law for the first time. They grieved for the way they had turned from God and had forsaken Him. Nehemiah told them to go out and rejoice and celebrate and share food and drink because now they knew the law and could follow it.
We are deeply blessed with the abundance of material available to help us to understand God's Word. We take for granted the thing other Christians desire so much. Many nations have laws against the possession of a Bible or even portions of one. Being martyred for owning them is not unusual in today's world. An average Christian family may have several Bibles as well as multiple versions of it. A glance in a Christian bookstore will show several shelves containing every size, shape and color of Bibles available. Bibles for every age help provide us with information for each level of a Christian walk. We can understand the parables of Jesus. We can study the prophesies of The Revelation. We can look at the Old Testament and see the footprints of Jesus throughout. We are truly blessed. The only book of the Bible to offer a blessing for studying it is Revelation. Matthew tells us Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a hidden treasure or a pearl of great price. Gleaning the depths of God's love through His Word can be a lifetime of study and joy. He offers us insight into our weaknesses and strengths. He shows us His plan for our future. He tells us of His love and the extent He was willing to go to give us an eternity with Him. Rejoice that for now, we can still freely worship. The days are coming when that will no longer be allowed. Luke 5:37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.  Leather skins were used widely in Biblical times for carrying liquids. Milk, water and especially wine were transported more safely because the skins would not break under rough treatment. Jars and glass were breakable and did not fare well on the road.
When wine is new, a fermentation process puts a lot of pressure on the container. The container must be able to accommodate the build-up of gasses within. A new wineskin is soft, pliable and will stretch much more easily. Old leather tends to be fragile and brittle. It does not allow for changes and a lot of pressure. It will break easily. When we become new in Christ, we must become like new wine skins. We must become flexible, willing to change and mold-able. We become a new creation. Behold, all things become new. The old ways must pass away. We will need to become the vessel that the Lord has created us to be. We must be willing to give up on our stiff-necked ways and trust the Wine Maker to fill us as He sees fit. In Christ, we will be stretched and challenged as our new wine begins to become mature. We will be given a new set of values that don't meet the world's values. The world tells us, "Me first, then maybe you." Hosea 6:6 tells us God desires "mercy not sacrifice". The Lord asks us to go into all our world to preach the gospel. He asks us to be willing to place our wants and sometimes needs on the back burner in order to help those around us. Whether physical or spiritual needs, the Lord has given us all we need to help others. I have met Christians that know the Lord as their savior yet they don't have the great joy of knowing His compassion and peace. I know some who are so in love with the Lord they can't wait to give that joy to others. The Lord uses all of us in one way or another. We can choose to be a willing, mold-able vessel or a stiff old wine skin. The great Wine Maker loves us regardless. John 10:11, 17-18a, 28. I am the good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.... I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  When Jesus chose to lay down His life for the sheep, His sheep did not understand that it was necessary to fulfill the prophesies. It was necessary that the wages of sin be paid so that we could spend eternity with our Shepherd. He chose to pay the price for us because His love for us is so deep.
The Lord Jesus has many names. He is called the Bread of Life, the Living Water, the great I Am. But the name that blesses me so much is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep. He calls us by name. He sees our every need and supplies them. We don't always get all of our wants but in Him we have all that we need. His word tells us that He is the Light of the world. He knows our thoughts and failures. He knows our dreams. He knows where we can best serve Him. He tells us we are made in His image. He stands as an intercessor between us and our heavenly Father. We are all familiar with John 3:16. But when was the last time you sat down and slowly read the words of that verse? We recite it by rote. We have a head knowledge of what it means. But the depth of the sacrifice that is represented here is such that we don't appreciate it nearly enough. It speaks of the love of the Father. It tells of the obedience of the Son. It describes the gift of eternal life and its cost. Our Shepherd knows us. He loves us and was willing to stand for us in God's judgment. He took the strips and the death that we deserve and He did it willingly. He is worthy of all the honor and glory and worship that we can give. He is worthy of the deepest love we can give. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He loves us. |
AuthorPlease join us as we grow in Christ through our weekly devotions, written by Catherine Donaldson 
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