July 23rd

I must think a word before it appears on my tongue. When I understand that, I see how much of sin and how little of Calvary love is in me. We call them `thoughtless words’, but that is a misnomer. We have thought to speak them, but we fail to think about the effect of those words on the hearers. This is a form of self-centeredness which the believer cannot afford if she is to maintain a loving witness for Jesus.

UNRULY TONGUE
Judge me in Your mercy, Lord,
Lest I judge self too harshly here,
For from my tongue a careless word
Has slipped into a loved one’s ear.

`Tis now too late to call it back.
Its lancet hurt has pierced deep
To reach the heart with poison black,
There its own offense to reap.

Forgive me now, lest in my grief
I cannot mine own pardon find.
In Your compassion bring relief
To one whose faith is oft confined.

Enlarge me, Lord, that I may see,
No matter what may happen here,
That You have planned Your `good’ for me
And for that one whom I hold dear.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to keep my thoughts loving and pure so that those `thoughtless words’ never cross my lips.