Wednesday, September 15, 2021
“Carelessly call a
brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court.
Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire.
The simple moral fact is that words kill.” (Matthew 5: 22, The Message Bible)
How else am I to describe and
deal with those folk who are protesting against masks and vaccines, especially
outside hospitals, if I can’t use words like idiots, fools, jackasses, stupid,
thoughtless, careless, selfish, etc.? You know that I don’t suffer fools gladly
– these folk and their ignorance are driving me crazy.
“The wise are glad to be
instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.” (Proverbs 10:8,
New Living Translation) Words to live by! “The words of the godly encourage
many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.” (Proverbs
10:21, NLT) Gotta love that book of Proverbs!
Jesus, you called some of your
opponents “snakes and vipers” so please cut me some slack if I call these bunch
of dumb-dumbs for what they are: complete idiots.
No, eh?
Sticks and stones, I suppose.
Jesus could be tough on some of
his opponents but he also understood the power of thoughtless and careless
words. The wrong sorts of words can become barriers instead of bridges. Hurtful
words break down rather than build up. Mean-spirited words tear apart rather
than mend. Cruel words leave scars rather than soothe. I know this to be true even though I have
always been too quick-tempered, sarcastic and impatient when dealing with those
who resisted my leadership. Anger has always been just around the corner.
Words are too often used in
retaliation when they should be used in Love, Grace, Forgiveness and Compassion,
some of the key traits of being a “fool for Christ.” Be gracious even if the
face of opposition, name-calling, slander and the like. Turn the other cheek.
Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Don’t become the persecutor!
Jesus’ words are very clear.
There is no ambiguity.
Paul, of course echoes Jesus.
“Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be
concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life
more difficult than it already is. I’m convinced—Jesus convinced me!—that
everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or
talk about it, can contaminate it.” (Romans 14:13 – 14, The Message Bible)
Our ill-conceived words can
become a stumbling block, a toxic way to contaminate our relationships with family
and friends or the Body of Crist, the church. Hold our tongues. You know the
old saying, “Better to be thought a fool and then speak and remove all doubt.”
“Those of us who are strong
and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and
not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not
status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us,
asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’” (Romans 15: 2, The Message)
Not “You fool!” but “How can I
help?”
I’ll do my best, Lord - give me
strength.
Dale
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