Taming the Tongue
Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers.
BIBLE MEDITATION: “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Your tongue can get you into a lot of trouble. There is nothing that can do more damage to your relationships than your words.
Proverbs 17:27 says, “He that hath knowledge spareth his words.” That is, if you’re smart, you won’t talk so much. When you do talk, keep your words warm and sweet because you may have to eat them later.
There’s an old saying I heard a Rabbi use once that reminds us:
“The ears are open and out. They’re unguarded, but the tongue is behind ivory bars.”
• When you’re talking, you’re not learning.
• When you’re not learning, you’re not communicating.
• When you’re not communicating, there will be no intimacy in your relationships.
ACTION POINT:
In what ways has your mouth gotten you into trouble this week? Confess those times before the Lord and ask for strength and wisdom to be a better communicator.
O FOR A THOUSAND TONGUES TO SING
O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.
On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.
Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.
Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.
I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!
I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.
Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.
See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.
Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.
Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.
Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.
With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
Daily Smile: Kid's Daily Jokes
In The News:
Pastor and 12-Year-Old Daughter Beaten by Radicals in India
A mob of about 20 Hindu extremists wielding clubs broke into the home of a church leader in India while believers were gathered there singing worship songs, destroying his belongings and brutally attacking him, International Christian Concern reports. When the pastor's 12-year-old daughter asked the extremists why they were attacking her father, they began to beat her too. They then dragged the pastor and his wife to a nearby Hindu temple and forced them to worship the idols there. "This is a pretty typical thing; it happens quite often in India," said Dave Stravers of Mission India. "Persecution is a growing reality in India." One of Mission India's partners believes that a non-Christian relative may have told the attackers about the pastor's worship group. He and his family are currently in hiding. According to Stravers, a similar pattern takes place in India whenever believers face persecution: they lie low for a few weeks until the chaos dies down, then resume their work quietly. "We need to pray that they will take courage, that they will receive comfort and support from other believers," he said.
Florida City Drops Case Against Family's In-Home Prayer Meetings
The city of Venice, Fla., has dropped its case against a family who was accused of having an unauthorized "house of worship" in their home, which the family says is just a weekly prayer gathering and Bible study, the Christian Post reports. Shane and Marlene Roessiger, who lead a small ministry called In Him Healing Touch Ministries, will be able to continue hosting Friday prayer meetings in their home without facing any penalties, after Venice's code enforcement board voted 6-0 in favor of dropping the case. According to the Pacific Justice Institute, the city's code enforcement board was led to think the Roessigers were operating an unauthorized house of worship when they had their ministry's mail sent to their home for a while instead of a rented post office box. Since houses of worship in Venice are not permitted on property less than two acres, the Roessigers were facing a $250-per-day fine for their gatherings. Additionally, they were threatened with a $250-per-day fine for posting a small sign in their yard that read "Need Prayer" along with their phone number. However, after a PJI attorney sent a letter informing city officials that the couple's corporate mailing address had been changed and arguing that the city's sign ordinance was constitutionally flawed because it made exceptions for political signs, the city dropped both issues. "We applaud officials from the city of Venice for changing course in this matter," said Brad Dacus, PJI president.
Dutch Euthanasia Deaths Increase by 18 Percent
The annual number of reported deaths by euthanasia in the Netherlands rose by 18 percent to 3,695 in 2011 -- a number that has doubled since 2006, Baptist Press reports. According to a Sept. 25 report, sizeable increases were also reported in the euthanasia of people in early stages of dementia and those with psychiatric problems; reported euthanasia deaths for dementia patients doubled to 49 and increased for psychiatric patients from two to 13. However, according to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), the statistics fall short of the reality in the Netherlands -- a July study by the journal The Lancet showed 23 percent of euthanasia deaths went unreported in 2010. Therefore, the actual number of euthanasia deaths in 2011 was "more likely" 4,544, the EPC said. Combined with its estimate of 226 deaths by assisted suicide, which is a separate category, the Netherlands likely had a total of 4,770 assisted deaths last year, according to the EPC.
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!
My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.
He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.
Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.
On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.
Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.
Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.
I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!
I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.
Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.
See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.
Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.
Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.
Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.
With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.
Daily Smile: Kid's Daily Jokes
Who is Adam
Knock Knock
Who's there ! Adam ! Adam who ?
Adam up and tell me the total !
|
In The News:
Pastor and 12-Year-Old Daughter Beaten by Radicals in India
A mob of about 20 Hindu extremists wielding clubs broke into the home of a church leader in India while believers were gathered there singing worship songs, destroying his belongings and brutally attacking him, International Christian Concern reports. When the pastor's 12-year-old daughter asked the extremists why they were attacking her father, they began to beat her too. They then dragged the pastor and his wife to a nearby Hindu temple and forced them to worship the idols there. "This is a pretty typical thing; it happens quite often in India," said Dave Stravers of Mission India. "Persecution is a growing reality in India." One of Mission India's partners believes that a non-Christian relative may have told the attackers about the pastor's worship group. He and his family are currently in hiding. According to Stravers, a similar pattern takes place in India whenever believers face persecution: they lie low for a few weeks until the chaos dies down, then resume their work quietly. "We need to pray that they will take courage, that they will receive comfort and support from other believers," he said.
Florida City Drops Case Against Family's In-Home Prayer Meetings
The city of Venice, Fla., has dropped its case against a family who was accused of having an unauthorized "house of worship" in their home, which the family says is just a weekly prayer gathering and Bible study, the Christian Post reports. Shane and Marlene Roessiger, who lead a small ministry called In Him Healing Touch Ministries, will be able to continue hosting Friday prayer meetings in their home without facing any penalties, after Venice's code enforcement board voted 6-0 in favor of dropping the case. According to the Pacific Justice Institute, the city's code enforcement board was led to think the Roessigers were operating an unauthorized house of worship when they had their ministry's mail sent to their home for a while instead of a rented post office box. Since houses of worship in Venice are not permitted on property less than two acres, the Roessigers were facing a $250-per-day fine for their gatherings. Additionally, they were threatened with a $250-per-day fine for posting a small sign in their yard that read "Need Prayer" along with their phone number. However, after a PJI attorney sent a letter informing city officials that the couple's corporate mailing address had been changed and arguing that the city's sign ordinance was constitutionally flawed because it made exceptions for political signs, the city dropped both issues. "We applaud officials from the city of Venice for changing course in this matter," said Brad Dacus, PJI president.
Dutch Euthanasia Deaths Increase by 18 Percent
The annual number of reported deaths by euthanasia in the Netherlands rose by 18 percent to 3,695 in 2011 -- a number that has doubled since 2006, Baptist Press reports. According to a Sept. 25 report, sizeable increases were also reported in the euthanasia of people in early stages of dementia and those with psychiatric problems; reported euthanasia deaths for dementia patients doubled to 49 and increased for psychiatric patients from two to 13. However, according to the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), the statistics fall short of the reality in the Netherlands -- a July study by the journal The Lancet showed 23 percent of euthanasia deaths went unreported in 2010. Therefore, the actual number of euthanasia deaths in 2011 was "more likely" 4,544, the EPC said. Combined with its estimate of 226 deaths by assisted suicide, which is a separate category, the Netherlands likely had a total of 4,770 assisted deaths last year, according to the EPC.
Presidential Election
Tuesday, November 6th
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