Matthew 12:35-37
A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
I am utilizing a Bible study guide designed to help me read the entire Bible in one year. Each day, I read a passage from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. Recently, this passage from Matthew 12 was accompanied by scripture from Genesis 37 and 38. In Chapter 37, the story of Joseph is told – how his father made him a beautiful coat that caused great jealousy among his brothers. They captured Joseph and ripped off his beautiful coat, tossed him into a dry well, and left him to die. The brothers bloodied the coat with an animal carcass. When they returned home, they showed it to their father and let him assume that animals attacked Joseph and killed him.
I’ll let you read Genesis 38 and the story of Judah for yourself, but suffice it to say it’s pretty dicey reading… and a good example of someone who gave their word and kept it – albeit for a stiff price! If you want to read it in Contemporary English Version and don’t have a copy of this translation, go to http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2038&version=CEV.
The point is, our words mean something… but we’ve gotten pretty fast and loose with them. We are quick to judge others… and to publicly condemn. We casually commit to one relationship after another. And while Genesis 38 points out that having sex with someone and getting them pregnant is nothing new, stepping up to the plate and owning responsibility for our actions – keeping our word – has become much less commonplace. We lie when it suits our purpose. We are all too quick to act like Joseph’s brothers – to do one thing and say another… and never give it a second thought.
My mother and I have been having a conversation lately about some things that have taken place where people said one thing and did another, and how frustrating it can be if you are on the “receiving end.” I made the comment that the people who make promises and do not keep their word will have to answer for this someday. As long as I know that I am doing what is right and pleases God, I cannot worry about what the other guy chooses to do. She replied that my dad used to say, “If they can live with it… so can I.”
This is well and good if you are living right… if your word truly is your bond. But some of us have taken the position that we can live with half-truths and saying things we don’t mean… and we will deal with the fallout as it comes – or sometime down the road. The trouble is… while we may be okay with this, God is not. He will hold us accountable for what we said… for promises and commitments made… for lies and misdeeds. And as this passage so eloquently expresses… careless words will come back to haunt you.
It’s time for us to take a long, hard look at our lives… to see where we need to make serious changes. We must assess how well we are lined up with the word – and will – of God. The time for becoming a person who chooses words carefully and honors commitments – whose word is a solid bond – is now! If each of us will do our part to make sure that we produce good deeds and words, season after season, we will be amazed at the ripple effect.
We need to live in such a way that we know we can live with what we have said and done because it pleases God. We need to set the bar high – and to be a good example for others. Who knows… maybe they will be impressed enough with our integrity and example that they want to make these changes in their own lives. Isn’t it worth a shot?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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