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Today’s Tasting-Matthew 12; Mark 3; Luke 6:
- Jesus pulled corn to eat on the Sabbath—and the Pharisees condemned Him.
- Jesus did “good on the Sabbath” and the Pharisees conspired against Him.
- Jesus restored sight to blind eyes and voice to a mute tongue and the Pharisees concluded His works were that of Satan.
Jesus rightfully expressed with anger and grief that such conclusions were blasphemy against the work of the Holy Spirit.
“As you wish others would do to you, do so to them” (Luke 6:31 ESV). Jesus continued to say:
- Judge not, and you will not be judged
- Condemn not, and you will not be condemned
- Forgive, and you will be forgiven
- Give, and it will be given to you
“For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (see Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45).
Today’s Nourishment: The Pharisees did exactly as these verses describe—they spoke to condemn Jesus, conspire against Jesus, and concluded from their own heart that Jesus was evil.
We speak our thoughts. We speak careless words from thoughts that rise out of our hearts. We can choose to judge and condemn or forgive and give. It is my understanding that the average person thinks over three hundred negative thoughts per day. I found out that I was above average in this area. We usually know that we judge, condemn, and complain, but how do we overcome such thinking and speaking careless words?
As my friend and I discussed our thoughts and negative speaking this morning on the phone, I found myself sharing with her something that I have shared with many coaching clients and Bible study students.
Take a pen and paper to journal as many of your thoughts and statements for one full day that you possibly can manage. You will have several pages at the end of the day—and this seems overwhelming to attempt, but the rewards far exceed the work. The next day read through your thoughts and statements to find a theme. Then, look at each negative statement and careless words to determine how you might reword them to speak from a different perspective. Since most of us speak from a negative perspective (such as 70% clouds rather than 30% sunshine) and judgmental and condemning, we can renew our minds to speak a new way. We can renew our minds to speak life to others along with ourselves. First of all, repent and ask the Lord to change your heart and to change your thinking to speak truth.
“For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (see Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45).
Who will take the One Day Challenge to change how you speak?
Tell us about it here as you comment below.
Tomorrow’s Delight: Matthew 5-7
Carolyn Marlowe, CCLC
Gigi to six adorable grandchildren
https://www.facebook.com/AlivebyHisWord
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