The Tongue: How We Use It Shows What Kind of People We Are

Have you ever watched a war movie in which a soldier is holding a hand grenade that already had its pin pulled? That soldier is pretty careful about what he does with the grenade because he knows one false move can detonate it with disastrous results.

Words can and often do end up being spoken as verbal grenades. And even though we have been told from little on of the importance of choosing our words carefully, we seem to think that we shouldn't be held responsible for what we say. "After all," we rationalize, "they're only words."

What we say can lead to devastating pain, but our words can also bring a supernatural healing to the lives of those around us. Which leads to the question, "If our words can be of such a great benefit to others, why do we so often use them in ways that bring others down?" Not only is that a valid question, it is of the greatest importance in the examination of our spiritual lives. What we say on a daily basis gives us snapshots of the inner recesses of our soul.

As we continue our study of the Old Testament book of Proverbs this Sunday (June 26 at 10:00 am), we will discover what our words reveal about what is in our hearts. What we find may not be comfortable, but it will lead us to the only One who can help -- Jesus Christ.

"It Can't Be Wrong When It Feels So Right"

(Well, actually it can be wrong.)

One of the most embarrassing things a person suffers is to have to admit being wrong about something of which we were absolutely certain. Usually what happens is we were missing or unaware of some vital facts which make all the difference in how we see a certain situation. It's a matter of perspective and once we see things the way they actually are, we are forced to change our thinking, even though it is the exact opposite of what we earlier believed to be the truth.

This summer we are studying the book of Proverbs, a collection of ancient truths on the subject of how life is from God's point of view. On Sunday we are going to look at a very important text for our current time. It reads, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." We live in an age when truth is defined as "what a person believes is best for him/her at that specific moment in time". In other words, right or wrong are determined by the viewpoint of the individual. The results of such thinking are chillingly reflected in the unfathomable number of people killed in wars over the last 100 years.

Human beings will never have the answers to life's question we so desperately need. We cannot save ourselves. It is time to stop looking within for solutions and turn our quest for truth toward the heavens. The only way we can truly understand life is to see it from the perspective of the One who created it. Join us this Sunday (June 12 at 10:00 am) for a look at life from God's point of view.

Wise Living in Confusing Times

What's right? What's wrong? Does it really matter?

Years ago, if people asked questions like those they might well have gotten a whack on the side of the head and been told, "Don't ask such stupid questions!" Today, things are much different. The whole concept of right and wrong is questioned on a daily basis. Behavior that was classified as perverse only 50 years ago is accepted as normal. Truth is defined as "the opinion of the majority of the people at a certain moment in time". And whether or not right and wrong matters all depends on who is asking the question.

All the discussion about right and wrong wouldn't be important if it wasn't that every area of our lives is governed by the concept of right and wrong. From little on we say things like, "That's not fair." "It's my right." "You owe me!" The very fact that we grow up assuming that certain things are okay to do and others aren't demonstrates how the sense of justice is woven into the fabric of human life. We can't get away from it and our overcrowded legal system is a ringing testimony that right and wrong are very important to us.

So how does a Christian live in a time when basic, observable truths about life are denied? Admittedly, it can be confusing but the Old Testament book of Proverbs gives us plenty of good, practical advice on how to find our way through the labyrinth of ideas circulating in our society. Join us this Sunday (June 5 at 10:00 am) as we begin our summer sermon series on the book of Proverbs called, "Wise Living in Confusing Times."