1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light.
9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'"
16 For of His fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
John 1:1-18

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Out of the Heart...

Understanding our human condition-
-->the tongue and the heart work together to produce our speech--whether good or bad

"The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9 NASB)

...For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34 ESV)

But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. (Matthew 15:18 NASB)

...for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. (Luke 6:45 NASB)

He who guards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23 NASB)

The one who guards his mouth preserves his life;
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. (Proverbs 13:3 NASB)

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 NASB)

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14 NASB)

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host. (Psalm 33:6 NASB)

In the beginning was the Word... (John 1:1)

--> we see the spectrum from man to God in the matter of words and the heart.

James 3:1-12
-->Our words are...
1.Powerful
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.
2. Dangerous
See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
3. Revealing
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh. (James 3:1-12 NASB)

**Our sinful hearts are revealed by our words.
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