June #jammed: Under the Blanket of Grace.

Day 178: Out of character.

“I tell you this: on the day of judgment, people will be called to account for every careless word they have ever said.” Matthew 12:36 (VOICE)

Ding-dong…

The doorbell at dinnertime usually means somebody is at the door trying to sell something …and I usually stay out of sight until they get tired of waiting and move onto the next house.

Ding-dong.

Thinking this was a persistent salesman, I let my dog out the back door thinking that this would surely get rid of the problem. It didn’t. There he stood, on the front porch, and as I peaked out the window I saw flowers in his hand. A dozen roses, in fact.

Clearly, I was not expecting flowers on that day. Apologizing over and over to the delivery man, I came back inside with an arm full of beautiful red roses.

“Mommy, oh my goodness!!!” My little girls exclaimed as I set them on the counter and read the card, but my heart didn’t need to read the card. I knew why. Precious words that will outweigh many hard days that are sure to come as we grow old.

Today’s verse tells us what we can expect in consequence for our poorly chosen words. That’s terrifying, when we think about our impatience and our constant clawing to be right. It’s just what we do. It’s part of the reason why we need Grace in the first place.

The Greek for ‘word’ (rhema) reveals that it’s not just completely formed words and proper sentences that are included in today’s verse, but rather “any sound produced by the voice and having definite meaning.”

The frightening reality of life is that we will all be judged at the end of it. But the encouraging part is the Judge we will answer to. The One who knows us. Knows our hearts. Judges by the heart. Sent us a piece of His heart, to earth, to ensure we would not be lost on account of our poor choice of words. By following His Word, we can move closer and closer to a heart like Jesus’.

When we pray for a heart like His, God hears our prayers. Bit’s of hardness begin to be scraped off when we accept Christ as our Savior. Little by little, that heart changes, becoming a little holier each day until we step foot in heaven. We may never escape the sinful nature of ourselves, but our hearts can change. God is God of the impossible.

Father, Praise You for Your just judgement. Thank You for making a way for us to be forgiven for the poor choices we make when we speak. Forgive us for misusing our words, and for any negative effect something we have said has had on another’s heart. Bless our hearts to be more like Jesus’ everyday. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Get the conversation started by commenting below, and let’s encourage one another as we face life in 2017 armed with grace! 

#greatgrace17

Happy Speaking,

Megs

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