An Example, In Speech

I am one of several musicians at my church that assist in leading the congregation with worship music. We have been reading a book called "Worship Matters," by Bob Kauflin, and we gather together for lunch every month to discuss the previous chapter. It is a great time of prayer, reflection, and fellowship with other musicians and Christians. We met yesterday to go over the fifth chapter in the book, entitled, "My Life, What Do I Model?" It was a sobering discussion of the power of our careless words and actions. I was specifically challenged by a part of the chapter where the author points us to read James 3:8-10. It states:

"But no human being can tame the tongue. it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it 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." James 3:8-10

The author then comments,
"He's right. 'These things ought not to be so.' But from the little I've heard and read, we seem increasingly comfortable with conversations that contain profanity and sexual innuendo. I've read blog posts by worship leaders that are slanderous and provocative. It could be an attempt to sound cool and relevant. Or it could be that we're just being foolish."

A bit later, the author continues, "It does mean taking responsibility for our words, written or spoken, and understanding that they influence others to fear God or ignore him. Jesus said we'll be held accountable for 'every careless word' we say (Matthew 12:36). That's why he wants us to set an example for others in our speech."

I'm learning again how powerful words can be. We have the choice to either influence people's lives in a positive way, or in a negative way. The sad thing is that when we are careless and don't make a conscience effort to tame our tongues, we are more likely to speak negatively than positively. That concept just reinforces the fact that humans are born sinners, and we NEED redemption. We are not naturally good beings, we have to work at it. So my sincere hope is that any of my words, whether in person, on facebook, or on this blog would be sound, gracious, truthful, and edifying. I am a broken person, full of flaws, but since I have been redeemed through the love of my Savior, I pray that my words will be made genuine and will be an overflow of my joy through salvation in Jesus Christ! I just thought I would share this with you.