Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
12/17/2021
The Angry Words of Christmas
The world is filled with the music of Christmas…of Christ…of Joy and Happiness and then someone opens their mouth in anger or frustration. An unbridled comment or angry outburst just blew the good cheer and peace out the window. Cutting like a knife, usually deeper than what was needed, there is now blood on the floor of some relationship and scars that will surely begin to form. Sadly and too often it is typically those closest to us because our guards and filters are down.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:34–37)
Those are some of the most impactful words ever spoken. Unnerving! They reveal the overflow of the heart. Meaning the heart is brimming with something. What is it for you? What is there just under the surface, just ready to erupt and overflow when you hit a bump in the road?
Please answer me. What is it for you?
He said out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks! I don’t believe there is much room for misinterpretation, do you? How many times have you been caught in its firey trap, whether in the words you let escape or the words you typed on paper. Honestly, nothing, absolutely nothing I have ever written in anger, in what I called a justifiable response to some wrongdoing, or so I thought, was a mistake. I remember trying to craft it so carefully, deliberately to achieve the desired end, making my point but attempting to be gentle yet direct…failed in the light of the new day.
I know that every time I have lost my temper or let my frustration escape its cage, I was hurting someone I cared about and almost always overreacted, overstepping the boundaries of respect let alone peace. Careless words that may be remembered in the heart of another for a lifetime.
“A soft answer turneth away wrath”.
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36–37)
The Point? ‘ALL WORDS MATTER” ALL will be called to witness for or against us. What we say, how we say it, (tone), is so connected to what is filling our hearts. The real unfiltered me. Even our careless words tell the story of who we are at a deeper level.
I read a great devotional by Jon Bloom that included the story of the destruction of the career of Jon Gruden. The Bucs Superbowl coach years ago and coach of the Raiders. “In October 2021, two high-profile newspapers published exposés regarding numerous emails Gruden wrote between 2010 and 2018, prior to his becoming head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. These were words he clearly (and mistakenly) assumed would remain private. As one news site summarized, the emails revealed a “pattern of homophobic, misogynistic and sexist insults, as well as pictures of topless Washington Football Team cheerleaders.”
October 11, in particular, became a day of judgment for Gruden in the court of public opinion, when he was roundly condemned by his own, as one sportswriter put it, “stupid and careless” words. And as a result, he resigned as the Raiders head coach.
Anyone facing prosecution in the U.S. court system is warned, “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.” Jesus is warning us that everything we say can and will be used for or against us when we stand before his judgment-seat”.
Here we are at Christmas and it has been a crazy Covid year of frustration, politics, the dividing of friends and families over these issues. But, it’s Christmas time, so let’s put all this stuff behind us. Not so easy is it? It is in your heart, frustration brimming to overflow in an uncontrolled moment. How do I do this? (1) a horse’s bridle, (2) a ship’s rudder, and (3) a flame (James 3:1–6). Each of these, like the tongue and fingers, is a small object with great power. The flame illustrates lack of control, carelessness, careless words…
I didn’t mean it.
But a small fire can destroy a forest or a relationship.
“The point is clear: words under control can do great good. They can be for others “a tree of life” (Proverbs 15:4) and “give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). But uncontrolled, foolish words can burn friendships, families, churches, and careers to the ground (James 3:9–10). The question is, What bridles are we putting on our words to control them for good?”
The 24-hour rule is a great tool to help us in responding vs reacting to real-life unfolding in front of us. Whatever you do…DON’T respond before then. Walk away. Bite your tongue. PRAY for God’s strength to not react.
You should take a while and think about YOU. Your boundaries this year or lack of them. Put some in place. Tell someone. Be accountable to them. Put more of God’s word in your heart so that you dilute the effects of these worldly spirits seeking to derail and destroy your witness and love. Out of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Let them be words of life from the tree of life. Prov 15:4 I pray you will cover your holidays with prayer and thanksgiving!
Lauren Daigle – Noel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGg7KdN19rs
Excerpts are taken from Jon Bloom Staff writer, desiringGod.org What words reveal about us.
