What you say determines what's in your heart; and what's in your heart comes from what you put into it. -GB
Hi friend. Welcome back to another post. I trust and pray that you had a blessed week.
Today's post is one I've wrestled with for some time now. In fact, I almost decided to not talk about it because I feel like I'm still in the infant stage of development in this area. However, I hope and pray that God uses this word to inspire, transform and challenge you. With that said, let's dive into this week's post, which I've titled "The Secret of Perfection".
First, let's start with a question. What do you think a perfect life looks like?
Based on things I've seen on the internet, I'd say a lot of people will probably respond with answers that are similar to this: a perfect life is one without worry or problems; it is one with beautiful blue skies and living on a private island with everything you ever wanted [the title pic today reminded me of this one lol].
As much as we would all love to have the type of life I've described above, the type of perfection I would like to share with you today far exceeds a beautiful day or living on a private island without a care in the world. In fact, it is a type of perfection that every single one of us can attain and not only day-dream about.
The type of perfection I'm talking about has to with how we control our tongue and the secret of that perfection is found in none other than the Word of God.
James chapter 3:2 states: "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." [KJV]
The English Standard Translation (ESV) writes the same verse as this: "For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."
James, the half-brother of Jesus (who no doubt, had witnessed some of the most vulnerable and lowest moments in Jesus' life) must've learned this secret and decided to share it with us.
What's in your words? Do you know that your words are determined by what's in your heart?
A lot of times, we try to come off better than who we truly are; but the person we truly are is identified by what's in our heart. So yea, maybe your words seem okay, but is your heart though?
What does God see when He looks in your heart? Or what does He hear by the thoughts/words in your mind?
Romans 12:1 & 2 states: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Both the tongue and the heart is a part of our body and we're reminded that we need to present them [since they're part of the body] as a sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God to be renewed and transformed. This isn't a one-time deal. It is a continuous process.
To be 100% transparent, both my words and my heart are sometimes big areas of weakness. Lately I've felt so convicted when I've said things perhaps in a "not so loving manner" or with the wrong tone. And then other times, I may not have said it, but I thought it. And the truth is, we've all struggled with this at one point or are still struggling with this.
Imagine a life that only thought and said the right things all the time. This is what heavenly perfection looks like. But the truth is, you or I cannot do this on our own. If you continue to read in James chapter 3, you'll see that even James acknowledged this fact when he stated in vs 8: "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison"
So then how do we attain perfection for something we can't even tame?
We can do this by: the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. James 3 :13 states: "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." James is saying that the person that is wise is the one who has good conduct and shows this by his works [which in this sense can refer to his words, or what he thinks, or the way he acts). This person is able to do all of this in the meekness of wisdom. Meekness of wisdom is the something that only the Holy Spirit can grant.
A dear friend of mine and a lady I look up to said this about wisdom: "wisdom is knowing what to say, when to say it, and how to say it."
I don't know about you, but for me, I do not have wisdom all the time. Sometimes, I say/think things that I regret later on. But with help from the Holy Spirit, we can have meekness of wisdom.
Conclusion
In today's world, a lot of people think perfection comes from good looks (perfect body), or having a great life and not a care in the world (perfect life). But the only time I read about a perfect person in the Bible is the when they have a perfect speech; and do not offend anyone with their words.
Please understand that I'm not saying that as a Christian, your words wont offend unbelievers or that they might never make someone uncomfortable especially if you're talking about sin. In fact, in next week's post, I hope to be able to discuss this some more; because the truth is that your words might offend people, but it wont be because they were meant to offend someone.
Imagine how different our world would be if we all strived for this type of perfection. Imagine if our words were never used to hurt, tear down, curse, gossip or manipulate... Imagine if our thoughts were never evil, destructive, jealous or selfish... I want that type of perfection and I pray you do the same.
Challenge
Starting right now, pray and ask God for strong conviction every time you say something in an unkind or hurtful tone. Ask God to reveal the bad thoughts you have his week, think about the negative thoughts you harbor that no one sees, but God. Ask Him to help you start striving for this kind of perfection.
Stay Blessed
❤
Image credit: Both from Unsplash
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