The War of Words

This is a post that a friend of mine put on his blog today. I found it so convicting that I too wanted to share it. Thanks, Jason, for your heart and transparency.

Speech

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
-Ephesians 4:29

I love this verse and hate it all at the same time. I love the verse because this is how we are to be as followers of Christ but I hate it because it's a huge struggle of mine. Jerry Bridges, in his book Respectable Sins, says this, "We see that we are not to let any corrupting talk come out of our mouths. Corrupting talk is not limited to profanity or obscene speech. It includes all the various types of negative speech I mentioned previously (lying, slander, critical speech, etc.). Note Paul's absolute prohibition. No corrupting talk. None whatsoever. This means no gossip, no sarcasm, no critical speech, no harsh words. All of these sinful words that tend to tear down another person must be put out of our speech. Think about what the church of Jesus Christ would look like if we all sought to apply Paul's words." I debated whether to post this or not. This is not easy stuff but Christ did not promise easy, He promised a battle that can be won by His grace. These challenges or convictions should do nothing more than take us to our knees in prayer to the Father. We are called to examine ourselves and last night was a wake up call about my speech. Praise God for the cross that allows us to confess and repent and keep pressing on toward the goal in Christ Jesus.

The Lesson of the Snail

"By perseverance the snail reached the ark." - C. H. Spurgeon











That's how I'm feeling about now as I'm slowly, and methodically trying to locate the correct a/c cooling fan for the '96 Accord I've been working on. So far we've ordered 2 fans and both have been the wrong fan! We'll try again!

The Lord allows all things into our life to conform us into the likeness of His Son, Jesus (Romans 8:29). Patience is a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), so this is simply part of my "sanctification saga."

Stay tuned...

A Neck Breaking Experience

Well, it happened again. My friend, Jason, and I were working on his car, attempting to replace one of the two cooling fans attached to the radiator. Three simple bolts and one electrical connector - a real "no brainer", or so I thought. Within 5 minutes of starting I realized this was going to be more challenging. The bottom bolt was located directly in front of the metal frame of the car, with barely enough room to get a socket on it. After many failed attempts, I decided that it'd be easier to remove the radiator to access this screw (who designs these things anyway???).

When I loosened the top radiator hose clamp and twisted the hose to break it free, the radiator inlet broke. That's NOT what I had planned! Seems like it had corroded from the inside. In about 20 minutes we had the old radiator removed and laying on the driveway.

Then we were off to the auto parts store to buy a new one. As we were exchanging the parts from the old one to the new one we realized that the fan we were going to install was the WRONG FAN!

Jason encouraged me numerous times during this adventure and reminded me to "smile" often. It was a blessing having him along for this journey as he is a bit more level headed than I am and his perspective on the situation allowed me to realize once again that God IS Sovereign and for reasons unknown to us, He chose to have this happen at this time for His glory and our good.

We installed the new radiator and all seems to be working fine. As I've pondered this fiasco, I find that it reminds me of my spiritual life. Many times I look fine on the outside but am rotten on the inside. It only takes a little bit of "twisting" from the Lord, or anyone else for that matter, to cause me to "break" and spew what's in my heart all over the place.

You see, I too am corroded on the inside. My heart is sinful and wicked. I'm full of pride, anger, selfishness, control, and many other harmful contaminants. I need Jesus to change my heart like we changed this radiator. I need His "fluid" (the Holy Spirit) to flow through me like Prestone flows through this radiator. I need Him, His Word and His Spirit more than you'd ever know.

I'm very good at concealing the corrosion inside my heart. Fortunately, God sees it all and He lovingly and graciously reveals my true condition to me and allows me to confess and repent. He alone can make me new.

The car is working properly again, and so am I. I'm growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and pray that in the future I'll respond differently when He brings these opportunities into my life. I am grateful for His love, and the trust and friendship of Jason and his wife. They've no idea how much joy I receive in providing what little service I can give.

Be sure to come back often to read of my ongoing sanctification saga.

Accord-ing to Hoyle

Our family enjoys playing card games. I grew up playing Euchre and my wife taught me to play Pinnochle. Many card games follow the strategies developed by Edmond Hoyle. When you're unsure of what to do next, knowing what Hoyle would do is a great backup.

Well, this morning I wasn't playing cards, but working on a Honda Accord for a friend. We were trying to locate the fuel pump relay. After 40 minutes of searching, removing various parts and praying, we gave up. Sure could have used "car repair according to Hoyle"!  

Next we found the solution to a weak windshield washer sprayer, and then moved on to a slow moving power window.  In spraying the window track w/ WD-40, the motor suddenly stopped working... before the window was all the way up (I thought that stuff was supposed to lubricate and make things work more smoothly, not stop all together). 

Again, Hoyle would have been a great resource.

After a few moments of pondering & pricing, we decided to remove the door panel and replace the motor.

At the time of this writing, I'm waiting for a window motor to arrive at the auto parts store. Lord willing, I'll get this installed and the door put back together without any further issues.

It's times like these when I have to remember that the Lord IS Sovereign and that He allows all events into my life. In doing so, I need to see how I respond, compare my response to how Jesus would respond, then pray for His Spirit to conform me into the image of God's Son. (Romans 8:29)

Sactification is an on-going process. I'm still learning to take what the Lord brings my way, pray for wisdom and humbly follow Him. Following Christ is not as simple as following Hoyle, but it is much more profitable.