Psalm 50:23 KJV, gives us a power tool to change our life by releasing God’s blessings upon us. The Psalmist writes, “…to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.”
Many times some of us look and sound like ‘conversationalist vagabonds.’ What have we accomplished after all our words have spit and sputtered all over the place? We have the opportunity of having a new nature according to Ephesians 4:24. Yet, we continue to speak from our old nature.
Wonder Why? Do we not like the idea of order? Saving time? Using power tools instead of lazy worn out tools that never cuts the mustard in exactness.
Yet, when we speak appropriately God acts accordingly! Would you agree this is the way the scriptures teach us?
thedailylily.com 
Sara, I have some scripture and footnotes. I believe we shared some of these verses, at last summers retreat. Maybe this will help us on some of your above questions? It’s from Matthew 12, verses 33-37. (the following footnotes will be from verses 34-36).
“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Now here are the footnotes: “Jesus reminds us that what we say reveals what is in our heart. what kinds of words come from your mouth? That is an indication of what is in your heart. You can’t solve your heart problem, however, just by cleaning up your speech. You must allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with new attitudes and motives; then your speech will be cleansed at its source.”
“Create in me a pure heart and renew a right spirit within me,” says the psalmist.
Our old hearts still bear the pit marks, bruises, bangs and beatings of a corrupt world of sin before we asked Jesus Christ to come into them. They still bear the vestiges of lust, deception, fear, jealousy, pride…scars left there by years of sin and disobedience. So, as Needles says above, ‘we must allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with new attitudes and motives which is the source of all speech.’ But we must be willing…willing to be corrected; willing to be chastised; willing to be shown to be wrong; willing to humble ourselves.; willing to give it up; willing to crucify the flesh. We are new creations because the Word says so….our spirits are renewed but the soul is still stinging from the dregs of sin and that’s where all the trash comes from. The tongue that stings shows a heart that stinks.
To order your conversation seems to mean to do the following with our words (according to one definition of order):To put into a methodical, systematic arrangement. Not strewn all over the place with no rhyme or reason. God’s spoken word, the Bible, meets the above definition as an example for us to follow in our conversations.
Needles reply above weaving the heart and the speech reminds me of this important prayer:
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.” Psalm 19:14
That salvation that God will show those who order their speech, their words and who align them correctly with their walk will see that total restoration that Paul wrote about in 1 Thessalonians….”And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah). “
I agree with you Sara when you wrote “when we speak appropriately God acts accordingly.” I thought about when I was in school, I had to take English Language classes. I had to know how to use nouns, verbs, pronouns, adverbs, adjectives, ect… correctly. I had to write sentences using them correctly. At home my Mom (an English teacher) would quickly correct my speech when I missed used the English Language. I was learning a new speech although I would fall back into my old speech from time to time. God teaches how to speak and act through His Holy Word. God teaches us how to have a “new nature”. Sara stated ” We have the opportunity of having a new nature according to Eph. 4:24. Yet, we continue to speak from our old nature. Eph. 4:24 “Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.” (NLT) Eph. tells us to do something. We have to actually PUT on our new nature… We have to work to put it on and to keep it on. We have to work to have our new nature and not our old one. We can’t just sit around and wait for it. When we get up in the morning we put our clothes on. We have to use energy and effort to put on our clothes. Our clothes don’t just jump on us while we are lying in the bed. We have to PUT them on. We have to work to do this. Sara stated above “Using power tools instead of LAZY WORN OUT TOOLS that never cuts the mustard in exactness..” Aren’t we God’s tools? Are we the power tools or Are we the lazy worn out tools that never cuts the mustard? Are we living in a Pitt of old nature that is so confining it restricts us from being all that God wants us to be? Do we feel exhausted and overwhelmed by our life, our old nature? We have to work to climb out of that Pitt and live in our “new nature”. We need to stay away from the slippery edges of the pitt or we will surely sink back down into our “old nature” pitt. We are God’s tools, so let us work to be the power tools He wants us to be.
Good one, CF. And let us remember that POWER TOOLS don’t work unless they are plugged into the source of the power….that is the Holy Spirit. If we are not abiding in the Vine then when we have an opportunity to turn on the switch it just goes “clink” and we are left holding the “bag”, empty at that!
It’s the blood and the cross that makes the difference!
chickenfarmer, your comment, “We are God’s tools…” sure should make us want to ‘order our conversation aright’ when you think of the words of our mouths as power tools. And Proverbs 18:21 says: “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Just like a power tool…use it properly and repair, create or bring life; use it improperly and destroy and bring death.
John 14:26, gives us encouraging Words to trust and live by…. “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative–that is, the Holy Spirit–he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” The Word of God also teaches that He will help us recall to memory what we need to say and when to speak…….We have no reason as Faith Children to say or act other than as FAith Children.
That’s true. James says faith without works is dead. So if we say we have faith but don’t ACT in that way; if we do the talk of faith but not the walk of faith in how we speak to others, respond to situations and circumstances with FAITH in what Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit will do/say/act thru us then our faith is just sham-speak.
When one is sick or going through a difficult time and another showers them with Spirit appointed Words healing balm is applied and the soul awakens to assist the healing and help the pain. O, to know The Lord and allow the Holy Spirit to work so gently in our lives is beyond our words but not His!
Amen, CF. Lets do it?
When serving guests a meal we probably carefully plan and try to serve them well. Serving with our words brings to mind this serving goal from Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good.” We try to season our food so it will be palatable to others, nourishing and healthy and the same has to be applied to our conversation. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Col 4:6 NIV
And let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything else is of sin. And do not jest when another has no appetite for joking.
And do not sing giddy songs to one in pain or anguish. But season your words with gourmet seasonings and spices to salve the soul who is in pain and minister the balm of Healing to those who are suffering.
I love Psalms 19: 14 May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. We read these words and even sing them. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkkWJ1mXj2o
Action is another thing. We sometimes get it right and some people who really work at it get it better than most. One church member said to me, “Don’t lose your saltiness.” I have been guilty a lot of not thinking through words. I become entangled with the world and the world of emotionalism and failed. May I become one of the true practicers and the flowing out become consistent wherever I go as the Psalm says.
Guess many have never been trained with practice to understand the graces of life. There are many wonderful books to give great insight how to speak and handle our course jesting. I believe the Apostle Paul has some great help in this area found in Ephesians 5:4.
Things like this may be found as part of the 12 step programs. My counsellors warm me as does the Word of God, flee from these persons. When one needs and hopes to hear a word of comfort and hears course jesting…best not to go on with them. Look for and seek out those with wisdom.
I guess Rena, emotionalism causes too much of the wrong talk or can turn inward and hold too much self talk inside. Either way seems like The fruit of the Spirit has no way to grow within and make way for self-control to release seeds for our needs.
In that wonderful Scripture(s) of healing and restoration, hope and comfort
Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18:
“The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”
Oh what graciousness and compassion have come out of the mouth of the LORD GOD Almighty. He speaks blessings and consolation, comfort and restoration. Oh to be Like Jesus! How long, Lord, How LONG??
Wisdom is so valuable and becomes more so when you see the consequences of the lack of it. I like to think that the merchant in Matt. 13:45 understood its value and went seeking it as a ‘pearl of great price’. It cost him all to acquire it, but he found it in Christ. “In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Debi, is the pearl of great price wisdom? It seems we would rather shop at the mall stores than the Heavenly jewel stores! When we seek spiritual health it may cost everything as the merchant warns of.
If I may place an answer to the question Sara asks of Debi: I think The Pearl of Great Price is Jesus Christ Who has been made unto us WISDOM. So the client who purchases the “Holy Ground” where the ‘Pearl” is hidden gets a real Treasure deal.
The pearl must be wisdom for what is more valuable than that?
Proverbs 1 and 2 tell of all the attributesand importance of wisdom. The Father gives it because He is wisdom.
“My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom…” Proverbs 2:1-6 NIV
“Don’t lose your saltiness.” What did this mean? Where they saying, watch your talk, babbling, etc. Proverbs 23:29 “Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?”1 Timothy 6:2 “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called…”
Sad, to see God’s children babble, gossip, etc. and then go and pretend they didn’t do it. It will give much sorrow, woe, and contentions Weird, what we think we hide we double the trouble!
Sara your comment, “When we seek spiritual health it may cost everything as the merchant warns of.” sure makes me think about more than money. It makes me think of a quote you have used often in your teachings, “No pain, no gain.” Now I don’t like pain but understand there are tradeoffs for gain to happen as well as sacrifices and change. Hope shines for Paul must have wrestled with this but come out a victor:
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” Philippians 3:8,9 (NIV)