By Barbara Newton
“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. By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.” (Mt 12:34-37)
It continues to startle me when a patient quotes something I said in an earlier therapy session. It reminds me they are sometimes listening and even hearing what I say. But my mouth has times when it is not talking "out of the abundance of my heart." I try to have those moments with my confidante husband or closest friends. I try to limit them to when I need to let off some steam, or want to make a point or get you to do what I want you to do.
The words that we say take on a life of their own after they are spoken. They can reach far beyond what is intended whether out of the abundance of our hearts or not. They can travel and heal or travel and hurt. Jesus knew the power of words and taught us repeatedly to use caution and opportunity to make the most of them.
Welcome!This Lenten season, the First Baptist Church of Christ will take the time to listen to the entire New Testament (days and passages are listed on the right column). Through our partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, every member of the church will be offered a free MP3 recording of the New Testament. By listening to this recording for less than half an hour each day, one can hear the entire New Testament in forty days.
At this blog, you’ll be able to read some of our members’ thoughts about what they are hearing. Our contributors reflect the great diversity of our congregation. They are male and female, older and younger, some with a seminary background and some without. As you read their questions, reflections, and observations, I invite you to join the conversation by posting a comment.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
February 25: Mark 12–16
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