COMING

Do you get excited when a friend is coming to visit you? How about when your very best friend is having a birthday, do you get excited and throw them a party? Do you buy them presents?

Wouldn’t it be great if this Christmas, we threw a party for Jesus and gave Him presents? After all, isn’t Christmas the celebration of His birthday?

What can you give the King of kings as a present? How about…

Your love

Your attention

Your devotion to His Word

What about a renewed commitment to…

Seek His will even in the little things

Give a portion of your income to His work

Be used by Him no matter what it is

We have turned the celebration of Christ’s birthday into something for ourselves. We buy presents for other people and expect presents from them. We decorate our houses with lights, tinsel, plastic reindeer, Santa and an occasional Nativity Scene. And, more often than not, it turns out to be a competition to see who can put up the most lights, or the fanciest tree.

This year, let's thank and worship the Almighty God for the awesome gift of His Son. Let us rejoice at the birth of Jesus, not as a baby who came into the world, but as God who came down to earth in the flesh so that we might have life eternal.

Finally, let us celebrate with eager anticipation of His return. Jesus is coming back for his people. He is coming to take those of us who call Him, Lord and Savior, to live with Him in heaven.

Do you know the Christ of Christmas? Do your friends know Him? Give Christ a present this Christmas. Pick out something special for His birthday. He is coming again…it could even be today.

John 1:29 (NLT) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

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GIVE

Christmas is all about giving. God gave His only Son so that whoever believed in him shouldn’t perish but have eternal life. We give presents to others. We give money to charities. Christmas is all about giving.

Do you remember the story of the “Widow’s Mite”? Jesus was with His disciples and watching as people gave…

⁴¹And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. ⁴²A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. ⁴³Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; ⁴⁴for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41 - 44 (NASB)

There’s an individual in our community that is like that widow. They spend most of their time helping others and giving of their very meager income to the church and to charities. Wow! What an inspiration, what a blessing. They are living the life that Jesus talked about when He told the story of the “Widow’s Mite.”

He also told a rich man…

“…If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matthew 19:21 (NASB)

Obviously, Jesus didn’t say we all needed to lead a life of poverty. He did know how important this man’s possessions were to him.

Jesus wants us all to remember that we’re on this earth together; we’re all His creation. Take care of each other, love one another, help one another…in these things is the true spirit of Christmas.

God gave His Son so you would have life. Now, give your life to helping others see His Son.

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OTHERS

We tend to love ourselves quite well. We love to be happy (or sad if that brings us more attention). We love to have the latest cell phone, mp3 player or super fast computer. We love to eat our favorite dishes and buy the latest fashions. We love it when our friends pay attention to us. We love to be noticed and be the center of attention. We love to do things that we love to do!

The Pharisees once posed a question to Jesus…

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” ³⁷Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:36 - 39 (NLT)

That second commandment must have needed a lot of reinforcing because it can be found in Matthew 19:19, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:8-9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8 and in the Old Testament book of Leviticus 19:18.

If we love ourselves so much as was mentioned in the first paragraph, ask yourself this question, “How well are we doing at loving others as ourselves?”

Do we strive to see that those around us are happy? Do we get them the latest high-tech toys, cook them their favorite dishes, buy them the latest fashions and make them the center of attention?

Paul, knowing our weaknesses takes it a step further when he says,

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. ⁴Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Philippians 2:3 - 4 (NLT)

I think of it like this, if we make Christ the center of attention in your life and His love will overflow through you to others.

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IMITATE

It’s interesting to me to observe the behavior of those coming into the SPRING Student Center. Some kids are leaders and some are followers. The problem comes when the good kids that are followers fall in with a leader who doesn’t quite exhibit exemplary behavior.

The Bible addresses this…

Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God. 3 John 1:11 (NASB)

We can all admit that there aren’t any “perfect” leaders to follow, at least human ones. So what’s the answer? We are to be…

fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 (NASB)

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BEGOTTEN

It’s only 19 days to Christmas. Time to buy those last minute presents (or do you wait until the Christmas Eve J). Time to recall who our real friends are and then touch base with our seasonal friends…those that we exchange Christmas cards with and don’t really talk to the rest of the year. It’s a magical time.

Of course, it would be good if we remembered why it’s “magical.” Time to recall that Christmas is in fact named for CHRIST, and regardless of whether the day was originally a pagan holiday or not, those of us who count Jesus Christ as our Savior, celebrate His being born into this world.

Many people are open to the gospel at this time of year. Quite a few of them have even heard a verse or two from the Bible, though they don’t go to church. Like John 3:16 for example,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)

He was born to bring eternal life to everyone that believes in Him. Sometimes, we stop there and don’t tell people what it means to “believe in Him.” Then people run around saying “I believe in Jesus” but wonder why there life isn’t any different now than before they believed.

Here’s a verse that may help:

Every person who believes that Jesus is, in fact, the Messiah, is God-begotten. If we love the One who conceives the child, we’ll surely love the child who was conceived. ²The reality test on whether or not we love God’s children is this: Do we love God? Do we keep his commands? ³The proof that we love God comes when we keep his commandments and they are not at all troublesome. 1 John 5:1 - 3 (TMSG)

Let’s remember the birth of Jesus, the reason that He came to earth in human form. Let’s tell others about that miraculous birth and introduce them to the Son of God. They too, can be begotten of God. He desires to be their Father. And we, as His children, have a responsibility to listen to Him and follow His will for our lives.

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READY
We are finishing our eleventh week of operating The SPRING Student Center. Of the 380+ kids, only about 10% have any relationship with Jesus or the church. Just this week kids have started asking questions about what the Bible says about certain topics. You see, they know we that are operating the place are Christian. We have to be ready for their questions.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

All of us need to study God’s Word and pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is telling us as we go about our daily lives. We all need to be ready to answer the questions about our faith in Jesus Christ.

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NOTHING

There’s always going to be someone bigger than we are, or stronger, or smarter. Typically, people look to the superior being as a hero and we may be made to feel inferior in their presence.

However, there is no one bigger, stronger or smarter than God is, and He has called us to be His heirs, His children!

³⁵Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. ³⁸And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35 - 39 (NLT)

So, when you are feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, by attacks, by people or anything else, just remember that NOTHING can get between you and God. NOTHING can separate you from the love of your heavenly Father.

If you have not trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, today is your opportunity to do so. Simply ask Him to forgive your past mistakes (sins) and come into your life. He will not disappoint! He cannot.

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PRIVILEGE

We see power abused in many aspects of our society; the politician who hides personal expenses that he charges to the state, the teacher who exploits the children in his or her care are just a couple of examples.

When we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ we have His power available to us. In His name we have “right” on our side…

In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; ²⁷for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. John 16:26 - 27 (NKJV)

We have direct access to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We have the Holy Spirit in us, the Spirit of the Living God; the power to do God’s will. The Bible cautions us in the exercise of that power. Paul reminds us in his letter to Titus of the responsibilities that come with such power:

Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, ²to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. Titus 3:1 - 2 (NASB)

What we have to realize is, that being a child of God is an incredible privilege! Jesus had given His disciples power over demons in Luke chapter ten, but His words to them indicate that we are to be more excited about the privilege of being His children, than over the power that comes with that position.

When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” ¹⁸“Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! ¹⁹Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. ²⁰But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.” Luke 10:17 - 20 (NLT)

God’s power is available to us to do His work. Just keep in mind that it is a privilege and we are no better than those that do not know Christ. I am reminded of that old saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

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WEAPONS

I was talking to a kid one day and he said to me, “If those guys make fun of my little sister again, I’m going to go beat them to a pulp.” Perhaps you remember when you were a kid and somebody threw a rock at you. Your first impulse is to pick up a bigger rock and throw it back at them.

God’s ways are not our ways. When we follow Jesus, we must act like Jesus. When he was being whipped, he could have killed his tormenters with a single thought or called in an army of angels to destroy the entire town…but he didn’t. Jesus remained silent and left things in the hands of his Father.

Paul talks about the weapons we are to use in the spiritual battle we face every day in his second letter to church in Corinth:

⁴For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 2 Corinthians 10:4 (NKJV)

God presents Himself to us in His written word. He tells us that He is the One that watches out for us and defends us when we look to Him and acknowledge Him as Lord or our lives.

Here’s an example from the familiar story of David and Goliath…

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 1 Samuel 17:45 (NKJV)

David’s faith was so strong he knew that invoking the name of his God was enough; trusting in the LORD was enough to ensure his success in the battle against the giant.

We face battles every day, at work or at school. It may seem like we are being attacked as a person when in fact the attack is spiritual. Our response must be spiritual, not reacting out of human emotions, but acting out of love, the love of God. They may come at you with weapons of this world, but you must respond by coming to them in the name of Jesus Christ, the only one who lived a sinless life here on this earth.

We cannot see our spiritual enemies, the rulers, authorities, powers and spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). We can only call on the name of Jesus, the One who saved us from the grips of sin and death. He has told us He will never leave our sides. Jesus has already won the victory. Call on Him for help. Pray, read and study God’s Word and trust in God to win the battle.

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FIGHT

The battle for men’s minds and ultimately their souls, rages on in this world. As Paul said in Ephesians chapter 6, it is a spiritual fight, not a physical one. Paul goes into detail to tell us that call Jesus, Savior, how to defend ourselves. In Ephesians 6:16 he said, “Above all, taking the shield of faith…”

Faith is part of that spiritual battle. It is not something you can see. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul emphasizes the battle:

Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 (NASB)

So, in what do we have “faith”?

1. Faith that God is our protector and defender

The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. Exodus 14:14 (NLT)

2. Faith that God cares about our futures

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

3. Faith that God’s power is within us in the form of His Holy Spirit

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4 (NLT)

4. Faith that, through Jesus, we are victors in the battle

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:37 (NLT)

5. Faith in all the other promises that are put before us in God’s Holy Scriptures!

Fight on. Fight well. Make daily preparations in humble prayer before your God.

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SOLDIER

While sports may at times seem like war, there are significant differences. If we are friends with someone on the opposing football team, we will still do our best to defeat them. It’s different in war. If we are friendly with the enemy, we will not be able to defeat them.

Listen to this passage about the Christian life that Paul wrote to Timothy:

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Timothy 2:3 - 4 (NKJV)

We are soldiers for Jesus Christ. We have been given certain objectives in this life that are not compatible with the world. Someone not focused on our Commander’s orders might be sidetracked by insisting on having their own way, by ignoring God’s command to think of others as more important than self or by throwing themselves into climbing the corporate ladder of success. But when God’s objective of reaching the lost world through the message of Jesus Christ is ignored, that person is useless as a soldier.

Now make confession to the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.” Ezra 10:11 (NIV)

If we are to win the war, we must not fraternize with the enemy or be lured away by selfish desires! We are God’s people, bought with the blood of Jesus.

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RESIST

We live in a rich country. We spend more on games and leisure than most people in the world have to spend on food. We don’t really know what it is to do without something. We have become lazy, not necessarily in a physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. We have forgotten what it means to need and therefore have forgotten Who it is that provides for all of our needs. That should be a caution sign to us…

Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (HCSB)

Typically, people in need call on God for help. If we don’t feel we’re in need, we neglect God and therefore our relationship with Him. The devil is looking for such an opportunity. When we’re distracted, self-absorbed, too busy to pray or to read God’s Word…that’s when he will attack.

How can we be ready for that attack? Simple…DON’T NEGLECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD! Remember when He first saved you. Read about His past acts of power in the scriptures and recall His mighty moving in your life. Renew your relationship with Him and you will be able to resist the attacks of the devil.

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WORLD

Working with teenagers from all walks of life at the SPRING Student Center is very interesting. Some have never read the bible or had any exposure at all to the things of God. So, what can we really expect of them in terms of behavior?

For one thing, to obey the rules that we lay out, since it is being provided to them free of charge. Beyond that though, we can only expect them to act like people who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. They don’t know the blessings of following His Way for their lives. They operate by the principles of this world; the same world that says you can be President of the United States, have adulterous relationships with other women and still be liked by the majority of the people. The same world that pays sports figures multi-million dollar salaries and pay the people that educate their children well below the $50,000 mark.

It is up to Christians to set an example by following God’s ways…

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ¹⁶For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. ¹⁷And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:15 - 17 (NLT)

If we follow God’s prescription for our lives and non-Christians see that difference: in our attitudes towards them and that we have a different priority system, they will want to know more about Christ.

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DISGUISE

We live in a world where marketing companies vie for the attention of every age group from young to old. They package everything from the trivial to the downright dangerous in attractive packages in order to make more money.

The spiritual world isn’t any different. There is Good and there is evil. If you have read the Bible, you have learned that God is Supreme and has already won the war through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ. Satan, however, is still trying to keep as many people from going over to God’s side as he can and he does not care about rules or playing fair.

Paul speaks of the devil’s tactics in his second letter to the church in Corinth:

No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 (NASB)

His disguise comes in many shapes and sizes in today’s world. He can make a movie sound good by calling it fantasy or pairing it up with a seeming good charity. He can make wizards, demons, witches and warlocks sound like “fun” things rather than the flip side of God’s kingdom.

So how do we tell the difference?

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ²This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. 1 John 4:1 - 3 (NIV)

Pray for each other and tune into God’s Word. When you are in sync with His Holy Spirit, you will not be deceived.

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BODY

The latest fashion, makeup, long hours at the gym…What do all of these have in common? They are all an attempt to make our physical bodies attractive to ourselves and to others. Do any of these things matter to God?

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19 - 20 (NASB)

So, if we belong to God, having accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, dressing nicely can bring Him honor. At least people wouldn’t think we were slobs who didn’t care! And, I suppose that if we were to exercise more, the outward effects would have the same result as dressing nicely.

I would suggest to you that glorifying God in our bodies, might I add, “while” we are in our bodies, is of the utmost importance and has longer lasting implications. We only have so much time on this earth, some more than others. While I am in this body, I need to bring glory to God. Whatever I do should bring glory to God. Now, if I look good and live longer because of exercise and dressing nicely, it may increase the fruit of my labors.

Of course the more important point of this passage of scripture is that we that call ourselves Christians are not our own. We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit is “in” us. Many simply use this passage as a caution against smoking, drinking and drugs while skipping over the specific warnings against immorality, but it has much wider reaching effects:

• We belong to Christ
• The Holy Spirit of God indwells us

That alone should cause us to walk this earth in humility and wonder while seeking daily to do the work of the Almighty God that made us and saved us from a life of sin, while at the same time giving us a long-lasting purpose of leading others to know Christ as Savior bringing them into a relationship with the Lord.

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GREAT

Many people wake up each day to the thought “Here we go again” or “Not another day like yesterday.” One can get caught up in temporary circumstance, or think that “things might have been better in my life, if only…”

The truth is that every single day we face new possibilities, new choices and new hope for a better day, if we look to the Lord Jesus Christ as our Creator and Savior. God alone has the ability to lead us down the right path as we look to Him for guidance. He has set that path before us in His Holy Scriptures…

Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

²³ They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22 - 23 (NIV)

God’s love is great. His mercies are great. His faithfulness is great. It is up to us to look to Him and realize that every day is a new chance to live for Him.

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PLEAD

Over 330 different teens have been in the SPRING Student Center in the last nine weeks. Of that number, nearly 300 do not have a relationship with God or know anything about Jesus Christ as Savior. Many come from broken homes. They hunger to be part of something larger, to be loved by others and know that there is hope for their futures.

So what can we that call Jesus Lord do about that? Hear these words from the prophet Jeremiah:

Rise during the night and cry out.

Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord.

Lift up your hands to him in prayer,

pleading for your children,

for in every street

they are faint with hunger.

Lamentations 2:19 (NLT)

We need to pray constantly for these kids. Yes, it may take a sacrifice of your time and energy, but God will reward your efforts. He can and wants to help these kids. Fall on your knees, O Christian, and beg for these young lives to be touched and healed by the Lord.

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SHOULD

I should do this. I should do that. You’ve thought that before. We all should do certain things, but do we?

¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. ¹¹Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 2 Peter 3:10 - 11 (NLT)

What holy and godly lives we should live knowing that one day we will stand in the presence of the Lord God who made the heavens and the earth.

Some of you may think, “I can’t do it. I can’t be holy and godly.” Whenever you have that thought, remember this verse:

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 - 14 (NLT)

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ALL

“That kid is beyond help. That kid will never learn, he’s (she’s) just plain bad. There’s no hope for them.”

That kind of talk begs the question, for whom did Jesus Christ die on the cross?

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. Titus 2:11(NLT)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NASB)

Everyone on this earth is a creation of the almighty God. He provided salvation for ALL people. Who are we to say that a person cannot be helped, cannot be saved by God? So what is our responsibility? Look at the next verse in Titus…

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, Titus 2:12 (NLT)

We are to remain faithful to God and His plan. We are to tell others about the hope that we have in Jesus Christ and pray that they see the change He has made in our lives.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NASB)

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WHOLESOME

Sometimes we can be so careless about what we say to people. We assume things that may or may not be true. We let the words fly and think about it later (maybe).

Here’s what Paul had to say about that to the people in the church at Ephesus:

²⁹Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

In today’s world, our mouths are not the only thing that can have unwholesome talk spewing forth. We now have email, IM (instant messaging) and texting on our cell phones.

If Paul were alive today, I’m almost positive he would have said,

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, or in your emails, IM’s or your text messages…

BE CAREFUL about what you say to each other and how you say it, whether it is verbal or written. What you say reflects on the character of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Don’t fall into the category of those deny God by their actions:

¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. ¹⁶They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. Titus 1:15 - 16 (NIV)

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