Daily Devotional for August 1, 2012

Psalm 35:28
Then I will shout all day, “Praise the Lord God! He did what was right.”

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

I seriously considered closing my Facebook account today. The vile, venomous, hate-filled posts seem to have escalated in recent weeks to a point that I find intolerable. When I come away from my computer filled with sadness and disappointment in people I care about who seem to delight in spreading unkindness and intolerance, I have to ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” I wonder if God asks the same question every day as He watches us operate in anything but love, grace, mercy and forgiveness – and often hide behind His name while doing so.

But then, there are the positive comments… the scripture verses from some of my friends and family members… their happy photos…prayer requests… notices for everything from a city-wide back-to-school shoe drive to a summer lunch program for hungry children… and updates from a little cousin who has to frequent Mayo Clinic for chronic health issues. Just as I become disheartened and consider clicking off the page, God reminds me that there are still reasons for praise... and for sticking around.

There are two things I hope we will all consider today…

1. Our mouth is a conduit - for good and evil. What others hear is our choice… and it does matter. When we “speak first and ask questions later,” we dishonor God. The first thing we need to do is prayerfully ask God how HE wants us to proceed… and to call on Him to put His words on our tongue.
2. We must learn to offer others the same things we ask God to grant us… grace, peace, mercy, forgiveness, unconditional love… and we must trust HIM to do what is right.

The tongue is incredibly powerful. I shared a little cartoon on my Facebook wall today that made me laugh. Wilma Flintstone was saying, “You know that little thing in your head that keeps you from saying things that you shouldn’t? Yeah… I don’t have one of those…” The truth is that we DO have Someone to help us with what we say and do! If we have surrendered to Jesus and invited the Holy Spirit to dwell in our heart, we always have a filter on hand. The trouble is, too few of us consult the Holy Spirit – or listen to His reply – before we engage our tongue or take a step.

But we can do better! We can start today. We can make sure that everything we post on Facebook… everything we utter to another person or write in an e-mail message or note is expresses God’s goodness, power and blessings. We can ask God to help us make a habit of removing negativity, criticism, and anything that might be construed as hateful or evil from our language and behavior.

I am sticking around on Facebook for the moment… but I am making my opening daily prayer one of submission to God… a desire to operate only from a positive base that honors Him and brings Him joy and honor. Won’t you join me? Who has control of your tongue today?

©2012 Debbie Robus