Sticks and Stones
“Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Words Can Never Hurt Me” (author unknown)
In light of all that is going on in this world – our own “backyard”, I think we need to be reminded through God’s Word how we are to behave. So today, I choose to allow the Word of God to Speak, then I will follow with a few questions to ponder and hopefully evoke thought and conversation.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 13 (NLT)
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.
11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
James 3:6-10 (NLT)
“6 And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”
James 1:19 (NLT)
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
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The US Constitution – Amendment I – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
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Questions:
How does one who loves the Lord, calls themselves a Christian, “balance” their 1st Amendment “right”?
Should our responsibility to follow the Lord and His Word precede the 1st Amendment?
We may have the “right” to speak freely but if my words do not glorify God or build up His church; or causes harm to someone then should I find another loving way to speak the truth in love?
I may have the “right”, according to the 1st Amendment, to call someone fat, ugly, stupid, a retard, etc… but in all reality will it help the situation? Is it speaking the truth in LOVE?
Please do not get me wrong, terrorist, murderers, rapists are to answer to the law of the land and to the Almighty God in the end. But picketing a person’s funeral because you do not agree with their lifestyle or how they choose to end their life (whether Biblically correct or not); is it truly Christ-like? Does it glorify God? Is it truly speaking the truth in LOVE? Does it help the grieving family?
FOOD FOR THOUGHT – One may have the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, but does it give that one the right to go into a public setting and “fire at will” and murder or injure innocent people just because they have the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms? Of course NOT! So why do we think we have such a ridiculous right to use our tongue for harm as well?
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.” Does anyone truly believe that saying?
As Christians, we need to think first before we speak. There is a reason why God gave us two eyes, two ears, two arms, two legs, yet ONE MOUTH!
It is true, Michele; we should not wag the tongue at free will. As you said, we need to still let His light shine, even if we don’t agree with things. We should speak truth in love and not evil. May God give us the right words to speak at all times and listen before acting.