Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

There Are No Private Thoughts and Conversations

ECCLESIASTES 10:20 – Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.”

 

THEME OF THE DAY:  THERE ARE NO PRIVATE THOUGHTS AND CONVERSATIONS.  The picture King Solomon paints in today’s scripture is also the one Jesus sets forth a couple of times in His Gospels. First, when He declares there is nothing done in life that is secret – For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light (Mark 4:22).  The other time is directly related to the Ecclesiastes’ passage and our speech – I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak (Matthew 12:36).  The lesson from all are warnings to be heeded with the greatest of zeal; there are not private thoughts and conversations.

 

Pause for a moment and think with me around this thought.  Have we ever been engaged in a conversation about another Christian in a private setting and said things about that believer that did not build up?  Even was of a critical nature?  Even words we would likely not say directly to his or her face?  By the way, if we what we are about to say of another Christian is not something we would be willing to say to them directly, then don’t say it and be guilty of hypocrisy!  Back to the conversation. Did we really think it was private?  Even in the privacy of our homes with our spouses?

 

Today’s scripture, and the words of Jesus, expose us to the truth that God is present in every thought we consider and every word we speak.  Among all the implications of this truth in our lives, humbling is high on the list.  And humbling in two ways; first is God knows all we think and say and we know both are not always godly.  The second humbling impact of God’s all-knowing, all-hearing Presence in our thoughts and speech is that He still loves us despite the dishonoring things we think and say!

 

As we are humbled over such awareness of God’s Presence and His love, there are a couple of applications we are to seek to ensure we are doing battle against unholy thoughts and ungodly speech.

 

The second application is toward our speech.  Let this instruction found in the letter to the Ephesians be the filter through which our words flow. If what we are about to say doesn’t pass through this filter, don’t say it – 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).

Nothing private in life – action or speech. God sees and hears all. May this truth humble us to be more dependent upon the God of all grace to guard our lives and tongues.

 

PRAYER: “Father, help me to remember there are no private thoughts or conversations in my life.”

 

QUOTE: “Strive for a purity of thought and speech and do so in the power of God’s enabling grace.”

 

In the affection of Christ Jesus,

 

Pastor Jim