"And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell."
James 3:6
"He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit."
Proverbs 17:27
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| An old picture of all of us girls. |
Oftentimes my mouth gets me into trouble because instead of "taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ" I'm quick to say what's on my mind...even if it's not Christ-honoring. I think the biggest and also the hardest thing that defines the quality of a brother/sister relationship is your speech toward them. Last year at the Homeschool Convention I was able to attend a session about brother/sister relationships by Dr. S.M. Davis. He said, and I agree (although it's very hard to practice), that 90% of your speech should be encouraging and 10% should be criticism. I find that I'm usually switched around....I'm 90% criticism and 10% encouraging. I believe the main reason for this is that I think more highly of myself than I ought and instead of comparing myself to Jesus I compare myself to others and think, "why, I'm not doing so bad" or "I'm better than that person, by far". How shocking!!
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| Some of my loving siblings! |
"In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride, But the lips of the wise will preserve them."
Proverbs 14:3
How true is the verse in Jeremiah 17:9, “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" The answer to this question is of course the Lord. He knows all the mean, prideful, evil things about me and yet He still loves me!!??!! How amazing is His love!
If you do not have Jesus Christ as your Savior I'm praying for you. There is nothing more wonderful than a real relationship with the God of the universe!! No one else, nothing else, can ever fill that void in your life except Jesus Christ!! He died so you and I might live; He rose so that we might live with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom for eternity. Isn't it amazing that He would want you and I to live with Him in paradise! The least we can do is offer up our lives for Him to do with as He wills.
Anyways, back to encouraging words. As the oldest in my family I sometimes find it difficult to be just the loving, encouraging sister; not the overbearing, bossy "second mother". This morning, instead of encouraging my brother I brought him down with my selfish, condemning words. I later asked him for forgiveness and he encouraged me, even though I had just been unkind to him! I believe he's surpassed me as a Christian! I love all my brothers and sisters so much and wouldn't trade my family for any other. They love me even though they know my faults and sins so well. How thankful I am for that love!
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| A big hug from my youngest sister!! |
"The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her own hands"
Proverbs 14:1
Only with the Lord's help can we become this woman! If we will allow Him to work in our speech, actions, and thoughts, He will change us into something beyond our wildest imaginations!
What a mighty God we serve!
Learning to delight in Jesus,
Hannah
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