Tomorrow’s News Today

Our companies’ CEO once shared this advice to a gathered group of employees: “Never do anything you wouldn’t want to read on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.” It was a call to bring our assorted thoughts and feelings into balance, so to make good, ethical decisions, whether in our actions or our speech. So far this year, our posts have focused on living responsibly under the authority of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Last week, we directed our thoughts to knowing Scripture and, in its life-giving, transformational power, speaking it as called in the moment. But what about our speech? Memorizing and voicing the Word is one thing, but mastering our words is quite another.

Words are like garage sale merchandise: We cannot take them back. Constructive or destructive, once released they will beget what they will beget. James says we are perfectly adept at speaking both: “With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”¹ The apostle adds, “No human being can tame the tongue”² and “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourselves, and your religion is worthless.”³ Oy vey! Uff da! And oh, my! Where do we turn?

Hope begins in the heart. Jesus speaks: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”⁴ Then how do we incline our hearts to good and away from evil? First, understand the grind of self-will does not produce the fruit of self-control, rather God has given us a spirit of self-control.⁵ Self-control emerges from us as we yield to His Spirit’s presence in us.⁶ Then in this freedom and power, we follow the model, “For the grace of God has appeared [in Christ Jesus], bringing salvation for all people, training us . . . to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.”⁷ In the love of Christ and the power of the Spirit, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God”⁸

Make it be good news that headlines tomorrow’s paper. (Or newsfeed.)

“If you want to enjoy life and see may happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.” — 1 Peter 3:10 NLT

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”⁹ In Christ I pray. Amen.

¹ James 3:9-10 ESV
² James 3:8 ESV
³ James 1:26 NLT
⁴ Luke 6:45 ESV, emphasis added
⁵ 2 Timothy 1:7, emphasis added
⁶ Galatians 5:22-23
⁷ Titus 2:11-12 ESV, emphasis added  
⁸ James 1:18-20 ESV
⁹ Psalm 19:14 NASB