Devotion
Let there be no evil in your mouth
David Jacobs
You may have heard the phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me." I always thought this was an incredibly foolish thing to teach a child, because words can obviously hurt us! In fact, there are many examples in the Bible urging believers of God to be mindful of their speech. Christ's followers should be swift to hear and slow to speak. This is the path to wisdom, and in my own experiences, I would say that my ability to listen to people far outweighs my ability to speak.
Swift to listen and slow to speak...this phrase reminds me of another popular quote. There is a saying from the movie Bambi. Thumper, the cute rabbit, utters this line: "If you can't say something nice don't say nothin' at all." It may sound less pretty, but it is a good summation of this verse in Ephesians. The final verses discuss things that we should avoid, most in regards to our temperament, and the last is feelings that we should feel.
Prayer
Paul has learned well from Christ; hopefully we can too, but if not, maybe the rabbit, Thumper, can teach us a valuable lesson.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
