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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

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Knowing Scripture, Speaking Life

My friend Rich has committed his life to befriending international students attending U.S. colleges and universities and sharing with them the love of God and the truth of His Son, Jesus Christ. Rich is warm, upbeat, and outgoing by nature, yet what has influenced me most is how he responds to students’ questions, particularly the “zingers” meant to challenge the existence of God or the perfection of His character. Virtually without exception, he cites the Word, always with an engaging smile, “The Bible teaches us that . . . ” Think of it as Peter’s exhortation in action: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”1 Then as Rich speaks Scripture, most students pause to ponder, as though stirred from an inner slumber at the waking call of truth. The Spirit of God is at work in them.

Consider God’s Word. Its effectiveness is unstoppable, for God says, “it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”2 Its precision is irrefutable, for “The word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.3 Its reliability is impeccable, for “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.4 Indeed, God’s Word is life itself, for “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”6

Then if the Scripture is so powerful, life-giving and transformational, shouldn’t we speak it, as well? And if we are to speak it, isn’t it best that we apply ourselves to knowing it? Personally, I’m not great at memorizing Scripture verbatim, for I have, to quote a friend, a “quick forgetter.” But given the authority of the Word and its fruit, I think it is incumbent on us to apply ourselves as His servants. Paul exhorts us still today: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”7

Then before our Scripture memorization odyssey takes us to different verses, let’s launch here together: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:10 NIV

May the Spirit stir its hearers from their slumber.

Father, Your Word is truth and it is life. Work in us the desire to learn it and the resolve to speak it as Your Spirit leads us. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 1 Peter 3:15 NIV
2 Isaiah 55:11 NIV
3 Hebrews 4:12 NLT
4 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
5 John 6:63 ESV
6 Matthew 4:4 ESV, cf Deuteronomy 8:3
7 2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

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Our Responsibility under God’s Authority

When I was a mid-level manager, a colleague shared his viewpoint with me: “When senior management asks my opinion, I owe it to them to be as forthcoming as I can be, and when senior management makes a decision, I owe it to them to back it one hundred percent.” Spot-on! Pithy has its place, doesn’t it? In last week’s post, we focused on the authority of Jesus Christ and our call to live in submission to Him. As Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”1 So, this week let’s focus more specifically on our responsibility as people under His authority, for while wholehearted submission to Him is crucial, it is not automatic. Jesus illustrated as much in His familiar parable of three servants entrusted with their master’s investments: all three lived under his authority, but only two executed their responsibility. The other buried his allotment in the ground, yielding nothing for His master and only judgment upon himself.2

Yet God has entrusted to us a far greater treasure — the good news of an ancient promise of redemption now kept in Christ. We invest this treasure in people through the Word of God, living testimonies of inner transformation, and obedient acts of love. This is our call as servants, so how do we live not as treasure hiders, but as Kingdom investors? We start here: “In your hearts, revere Christ as Lord”3 — our Savior is also our master. It means trading up, striving no longer for the conditional approval of man, but striding forever in the inseparable love of God. “Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?” asked Paul, rhetorically, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”4 Then grasp as best you can the supreme value of the treasure entrusted to us. Paul proclaimed, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”5 And be ready: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”6

God “chose us in [Jesus] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”7 We are chosen “that [we] might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.”8 Then under the authority and call of Christ, may we “back Him one hundred percent” today.

Father, how great the honor of serving You. Thank You. Fill us with wisdom and courage, so that we recognize Your call and respond in the obedience that comes from faith. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 Colossians 3:17 NIV
2 See Matthew 25:14-30 — the parable of the talents
3 1 Peter 3:15 NIV, emphasis added
4 Galatians 1:10 ESV
5 Romans 1:16 NIV
6 1 Peter 3:15 NIV, emphasis added
7 Ephesians 1:4 ESV
8 John 15:16 NIV