Open mouth . . . insert foot.
Don’t we all wish we could avoid that scenario? Our words can get us into all kinds of trouble, because words are powerful.They influence the direction and quality of our lives and the direction and quality of the lives of those around us. That’s why James, the Lord’s brother, said we should be quick to listen and really slow to speak, because the tongue is untamable. But maybe we can learn to keep our big mouths in check.
(1) QUICK TO LISTEN – Sunday, January 6th
We all know what it’s like to be hurt by someone who just couldn’t listen to us long enough to understand us. Maybe in their attempt to be right, they damaged a relationship that could have been saved with a little patience and curiosity. You’ve probably been on the other side of that coin too. Taking the verbal offense may have won the argument, but you lost relationally. What if we didn’t settle for being right, but tried to make things right instead? The longer we listen, the more we learn, and the better chance we have of protecting ourselves from our own big mouths.
(2) UNTAMABLE – Sunday, January 13th
Like a small spark that has the potential to scorch an entire green forest, our tongues are untamable, with the power to control our whole bodies. We have a tool that can be used to build up those around us or tear them down in just a few words. What do we do with that kind of power? We can’t lock it away. But we can, by God’s grace, learn to control it.
(3) ACCORDING TO CODE – Sunday, January 20th
Our big mouths can be destructive, but they also have the power to build others up. What we say can impact the quality, and even the direction, of the lives of the people around us. How can we use this power for good?
According to Code Message Notes
(4) RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ‘EM – Sunday, January 27th
What goes around often comes around. The powerless often find themselves in a position of power and the people who hurt us may someday need us. In the moments when we’ve got those people right where we want ‘em, what we say will say as much about us as anything else. If our words are stones, will we choose to throw them, or use them to pave the way forward?
