Words

Closely connected with Christ's warning in regard to the sin against the Holy Spirit is a warning against idle and evil words. The words are an indication of that which is in the heart. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." But the words are more than an indication of character; they have power to react on the character. Men are influenced by their own words. Often under a momentary impulse, prompted by Satan, they give utterance to jealousy or evil surmising, expressing that which they do not really believe; but the expression reacts on the thoughts. They are deceived by their words, and come to believe that true which was spoken at Satan's instigation. Having once expressed an opinion or decision, they are often too proud to retract it, and try to prove themselves in the right, until they come to believe that they are. It is dangerous to utter a word of doubt, dangerous to question and criticize divine light. The habit of careless and irreverent criticism reacts upon the character, in fostering irreverence and unbelief. Many a man indulging this habit has gone on unconscious of danger, until he was ready to criticize and reject the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."  The Desire of Ages, p. 323

Observation/Application:  From early childhood God has sought to speak to me about words.  The first verse of Scripture I ever remember being taught was Psalm 19:14:

Let the words of my mouth 

and the meditation of my heart

Be acceptable in Your sight,

O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. 

My Grandmother Moon taught me this verse... I called her Nani.  She was a woman of kind words and caring works.  She fed me lentils, she rubbed my head, she prayed with me.  It's sad to think she is gone.  But her legacy lingers.  It is a legacy of faith.  A legacy that reminds me to watch my words.  A legacy that speaks to my heart this morning with a message of humility:  Speak with thoughtfulness.  Speak with reverence.  Speak honor to your Father in heaven by the way you speak to your brethren.

Prayer:  O Jesus I thank You for Nani.  Thank You for the kind words she spoke to me in my formative years.  Thank You for the days I sat at her table and ate of her grace toward me.  Thank you for her rough hands rubbing my scalp.  Thank You for the love you extended to me through her.  Thank You for her gentle rebuke when she would say to me "O Jimmy!"  When I was in her presence I knew I was loved. 

Father I confess to you that my words have not always been loving.  Many times they have been critical, harsh, doubting, and bitter.  Lord, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks!"  I yield the bitterness of my heart to you this morning.  Lord take my fears about where we are going.  Father take my distrust...  Lord Jesus change my heart.  Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation and let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy Sight.  Forgive me I pray. 

The Food of Rest

Then the Lord God said, "Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" -- therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which He was taken...  Genesis 3:22

Observation:  Bread is the food of toil.  Fruit is the food of rest.  Our original diet was the fruit of rest:  

"From any tree of the the garden you may eat freely; from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."

The original diet was a diet of freedom.  Eat from any tree the Lord said... Eat freely.  Unfortunately, we focused on the one tree we weren't allowed to eat from.  We believed the lie of the tempter.  We believed God's word was bondage rather than a blessed boundary.  We thought his warning was keeping us from a blessing rather than keeping us from a curse.  And, as a result we came under the following curse:

By the sweat of your face 

You will eat bread, 

Till you return to the ground, 

Because from it you were taken; 

For you are dust,

And to dust you shall return."

When we ate of the forbidden fruit, we became slaves of the dust.  And our diet became one of toil, tears, and sweat.  No longer could we eat freely.  Now we must work for our food.  We labor for the bread that perishes.  However, in the midst of our toil their is hope.  In the midst of our struggle, God offers living bread through the following invitation:

""Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"" (John 6:27-28 NAS95S)

This living bread that Jesus offers does not come through the work of sweat and toil, but the work of surrender and trust:

"Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.""  (John 6:29 NAS95S)

The work of belief is all about trusting in God's provision; not the provision of manna; not the provision of bread alone; but the provision of the word.  As it is written:  "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).  In other words, we do not live by the fruit of our labors, but we live by His word.  And ultimately, that means that we live by the word that became flesh and dwelt among us (see John 1:1-14):

"Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." 

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst... 

"I am the bread of life. "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." 

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.""  (John 6:32-35, 48-51, 53-58 NAS95S)

Prayer:  Lord Jesus thank You for being the living bread.  As we prepare to partake in communion this Friday night, I ask we will remember that we need to toil any more.  I ask that You would remind us that we may enter Your rest.  That when we eat of the bread, we are eating the fruit of rest because You rested in the grave.  You are the broken bread.  Because of Your brokenness we are blessed.  Because of the blood you spilled we are now filled with Your Spirit.  Because of the grace and favor of Your Father, we find life in You the living bread.