Read. James 3:4-12
4 Consider ships: They are so large that strong winds are needed to drive them. But pilots direct their ships wherever they want with a little rudder. 5 In the same way, even though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts wildly.
Think about this: A small flame can set a whole forest on fire. 6 The tongue is a small flame of fire, a world of evil at work in us. It contaminates our entire lives. Because of it, the circle of life is set on fire. The tongue itself is set on fire by the flames of hell.
7 People can tame and already have tamed every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish. 8 No one can tame the tongue, though. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God’s likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it just shouldn’t be this way!
11 Both fresh water and salt water don’t come from the same spring, do they? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree produce olives? Can a grapevine produce figs? Of course not, and fresh water doesn’t flow from a saltwater spring either.
Reflect. The apostle James, Jesus’ brother, found a painful irony in one way people speak. “With [our tongue] we both bless the Lord and Father and curse human beings made in God’s likeness. Blessing and cursing come from the same mouth,” he wrote. Reflecting on this passage in his book Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, Pastor Adam Hamilton asks, “Does the Lord give us an exemption from practicing the Scriptures when it comes to our political leaders?”
• Sociologists note that in war, soldiers start using dehumanizing nicknames for people on the other side. It seems to become easier to kill other people if we stop thinking of them as people, as human. In what ways have you seen similar patterns in political “combat,” when the “bullets” are words? Have you ever become friends with a person, later found that you hold different political opinions, and realized that the degrading labels you’ve used for “those people” may not be true?

• In Seeing Gray, Pastor Adam Hamilton wrote, “Part of the polarization ... in our country today is a result of pastors and church leaders who have abandoned the teachings of Jesus and the apostles regarding the way we speak of those with whom we disagree. Part of the healing of our nation must come from the church modeling for our society how we are to love those with whom we disagree.” Do you, like James, find it sad to bless God and then curse people God loves and for whom Jesus died? What can you change in your own speech to contribute to “the healing of our nation”?

Pray. Lord God, on this first day of early voting, I confess that sometimes those who disagree with me bug me so much that I wonder “where they came from.” Remind me that they, like me, ultimately came from your creative heart. Help me to move toward seeing them as you see them. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST

Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray. guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. Matthew 7:1-5
“Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 2 You’ll receive the same judgment you give. Whatever you deal out will be dealt out to you. 3 Why do you see the splinter that’s in your brother’s or sister’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother or sister, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when there’s a log in your eye? 5 You deceive yourself! First take the log out of your eye, and then you’ll see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s or sister’s eye.

Reflect. Jesus noted that we are quick to judge others, while overlooking or excusing any tendency on our part to do similar (or even worse) things. That is destructive and hurtful enough in families or workplaces. Taken into the realm of politics, it seems to go on steroids. Think about it: when was the last time a political figure you disagree with came under fire, and you said, “That’s not good, but our side does the same thing, or even worse?”
• Jesus’ words applied, of course, to family relationships. Think about your spouse, or if you’re not married, your parents or siblings. Can two people both care deeply about a family and its well-being, and yet come to different conclusions about the best way to address certain problems? Can they disagree without impugning each other’s honesty or motives?

• In what ways do you believe Jesus’ words also apply to our local, state or national political “family”? Can you recall a campaign in which two candidates disagreed about the best approaches to issues, yet did so with respect and without claiming that the other person is a dishonest, unpatriotic slimeball? If candidates did that, do you believe their supporters (including you) might follow suit?

Pray. Lord Jesus, as I seek to decide for whom I wish to vote, please rid my spirit of contempt and judgment. Help me remember that people can disagree with me from honest, worthy motives. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST

Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray. guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. Matthew 5:21-22
21 “You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder,[a] and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell.
Reflect. Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, startlingly widened the sixth commandment’s reach (cf. Exodus 20:13). Contempt or anger, leading to words that tear down and destroy others, is as morally destructive as the physical act of murder, he said. We are in the midst the campaign season for a presidential election, full of negative ads and angry rhetoric.
• Scholar William Barclay showed how Jesus condemned, first, “the anger over which a person broods, and which he will not allow to die;” then the Aramaic word raca, which he said is “almost untranslatable, because it describes a tone of voice ... It’s the whole accent of contempt;” and finally the Greek mōros, the most deadly offense. “To call a man mōros was not to criticize his mental ability; it was to cast aspersions on his moral character; to take his name and reputation from him.” Reflect on how Jesus’ words apply to the political speech of candidates and big-money ad campaigns, and your personal speech about candidates and office-holders.

• Most of us, it seems, have an innate bias to favor one side over the other when we hear of a labor dispute (whether between millionaire ballplayers and owners, or between minimum wage custodians and management). Which side do you tend to favor, based on your upbringing, temperament and beliefs? How might we use each day, not to divide us from one another, but to help us appreciate the crucial role both sides play in the working of our overall economy?

Pray. Dear God, help me this day to focus more on the things that connect us than on what divides us. Help me exercise discernment in a generous, unifying spirit. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST

Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray. guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. James 3:14-17
14 However, if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, then stop bragging and living in ways that deny the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Instead, it is from the earth, natural and demonic. 16 Wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and everything that is evil. 17 What of the wisdom from above? First, it is pure, and then peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good actions, fair, and genuine.

Reflect. James devoted a good part of his letter to the effects, positive and negative, of our speech and the inner sources from which that speech springs. He noted that “bitter jealousy and selfish ambition” can wreck any relationship, including those in a family. But he was equally convinced that true wisdom comes “from above,” and that divine wisdom will surely shape our souls in ways that create peaceful, generous living.
• Scholar William Barclay noted, “There is a kind of person who is undoubtedly clever, with
acute brain and skilful tongue; but his effect, nevertheless, in ... any group, is to cause trouble and to disturb personal relationships. It is sobering thing to remember that the wisdom he possesses is devilish rather than divine.” Have you ever known (or been) a person like that? What does it take to turn that kind of intelligence and skill in speech to more positive purposes?

• Barclay also observed that the true wisdom described in verse 17 “at all times brings men closer to one another and to God.” What are some of the daily practices that most help you to remember and internalize “the wisdom from above”? In what ways can you sense that wisdom reshaping your life and relationships for the better?

Pray.  Lord Jesus, too many times already my own wisdom has let me down, and hurt me and people I love. Keep sending me your wisdom from above, and keep me receptive and open to it. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST


Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.


Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. Colossians 3:18-21
18 Wives, submit to your husbands in a way that is appropriate in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and don’t be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, because this pleases the Lord. 21 Parents, don’t provoke your children in a way that ends up discouraging them.

Reflect. Too often, both men and women get stuck on verse 18, one of the most often misinterpreted and abused verses Paul ever wrote. We get a clearer sense of what he meant from a parallel in Ephesians 5:21, where he said “Submit to one another” before specifically speaking to wives and husbands. Verses 19 and 21 may sound mundane to us, but were revolutionary in a world where most pagan moralists lectured women and children on how to behave, with no related duties for husbands and parents.
• Paul’s command to husbands was “Husbands, love your wives and don’t be harsh with
them.” In the Bible, “love” referred to a chosen set of attitudes and actions, not just an
emotional state. How does this show that Paul did not intend to “let husbands off easy”? (In Ephesians 5:25, he got even more explicit: “Husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.”) In what ways have you seen mutual submission strengthen loving relationships?

• In Paul’s day, the Greek, Roman and Hebrew legal codes all gave parents virtually unlimited power over their children. How did Paul’s vision of family life lived under God’s principles emphasize mutual respect and caring, rather than a one-sided, tyrannical relationship? How can you, as a parent or a child, live out the principles of verses 20-21?

Pray. Heavenly Father, you came in Jesus to win my heart, not to harshly order me around. Help me learn from you how to live that way in all of the relationships that matter most to me. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST


Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. Colossians 3:15-17
15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people.16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.

Reflect. Paul went on to tell the Colossian Christians, “The peace of Christ must control your hearts.” He wrote that to people who lived in a world at least as cruel and unsettling as ours, perhaps more so. Not only that—that Greco-Roman world often turned its hatred, violence and scorn particularly on its Christian citizens. Paul’s counsel about peace, praise and gratitude was a survival manual for people who lived in a spiritual “combat zone.”
• Songwriter Allan Roberts wrote the often-recorded song “You Always Hurt the One You
Love.” What aspects of your history and temperament make “the peace of Christ” particularly important for you in your closest relationships? The Message renders verse 16, “Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house.” How can you live that out?

• Verse 17 took in a lot of ground: “WHATEVER you do, whether in speech or action, do it ALL in the name of the Lord Jesus.” What does it mean to you to do whatever you do in Jesus’ name? How can you work, shop, drive the freeway, react to today’s news, cheer for the Royals or your kid’s soccer team or discuss the family budget and future holiday plans “in the name of the Lord Jesus”?

Pray. Lord Jesus, help me to see reasons to say “thank you” no matter what comes my way today. Let your peace more and more control my heart and my words. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST


Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.


Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. Colossians 3:12-14
12 Therefore, as God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other. 14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Reflect. The apostle Paul trained to be a rabbi (cf. Acts 22:3). It’s no surprise that, after he became an itinerant Christian preacher, he taught his Gentile converts the principles of speech and
relationships found in Proverbs. But he added a powerful additional motive to his teaching: Jesus’ example. “As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other,” he wrote.
• Paul called all of Christ’s followers to show five qualities: “compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.” When have you showed those qualities toward someone you love, or has that person showed them toward you? What other responses might you or they have chosen? Would those alternatives have made things better or worse?

• Every week in worship at Resurrection, we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Colossians said, “As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other.” How does accepting, down deep inside, that God forgives you transform your approach to forgiving others? What factors make seeing yourself and others as “forgivable” particularly significant in building durable marriage and family relationships?

Pray. Lord Jesus, please keep shaping me into a person of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Give me the grace to forgive as you’ve forgiven me. Amen.

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST


Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.
​

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Read. Proverbs 10:6-12
Blessings cover the head of the righteous,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
    but the name of the wicked rots.
8 The skilled mind accepts commands,
    but a foolish talker is ruined.
9 Those who walk in innocence walk with confidence,
    but those on crooked paths will be found out.
10 Those who wink an eye bring trouble;
    those who speak foolishly are ruined.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hate stirs up conflict,
    but love covers all offenses.

Reflect. With so many focused books and resources, we sometimes begin to think that marriage and family life is a unique, specialized field. In some ways, perhaps—yet the Bible often reminds us that the values that guide all healthy interactions apply, if anything, more strongly to our families. The principles in these seven Hebrew proverbs speak clearly, if not specifically, to family life.
• Verses 6-11 all contrast people who are honest, trustworthy and upright with those who
deceive, who reject wisdom in order to pursue their own ways and who do violence, if not physically then emotionally. In what ways have you felt the difference between marriages and families that embody the “righteous” attitudes and speech listed here with those torn by the “foolish” or “wicked” qualities?

• “Love covers all offenses” in verse 12 used the same Hebrew word as verse 11’s “the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.” Here, said commentator Paul Koptak, it meant “the covering that promotes healed relationships ... Hatred stirs up, love smoothes over. Discord and dissension spring from hatred, but love nurtures harmony.” When has love healed in your life, not by ignoring a problem, but by being the glue that points beyond the problem to an essential connection worth preserving?

Pray. God of love, make me wise and righteous in the best and broadest sense of those words. Give me a heart from which flow words that honestly help and heal in the lives of those I love most. Amen.


COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST


Doug Lawson. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. Nancy Ryan & family. Bobby Roberts. Elizabeth May & family. Melvin Rinehart. Susan Rogers. Brandon Haugh.


Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Each day say our two theme verses. To help you do this, download our smartphone and tablet wallpaper: https://www.decaturumc.com/sermons/the-power-of-words. 

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Read. Ephesians 4:25-32; Psalm 19:9-14
25 Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor because we are parts of each other in the same body. 26 Be angry without sinning. Don’t let the sun set on your anger. 27 Don’t provide an opportunity for the devil. 28 Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need.

29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:25-32)

Honoring the Lord is correct,
    lasting forever.
The Lord’s judgments are true.
    All of these are righteous!
10 They are more desirable than gold--
        than tons of pure gold!
    They are sweeter than honey--
        even dripping off the honeycomb!
11 No doubt about it:
    your servant is enlightened by them;
    there is great reward in keeping them.
12 But can anyone know
    what they’ve accidentally done wrong?
    Clear me of any unknown sin
13         and save your servant from willful sins.
        Don’t let them rule me.
Then I’ll be completely blameless;
    I’ll be innocent of great wrongdoing.
14 Let the words of my mouth
    and the meditations of my heart
    be pleasing to you,
    Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:9-14)

Reflect. Ephesians 4 and Psalm 19 contain the theme for this sermon series. We will read these passages each Saturday during the series. As we do this, consider memorizing at least Ephesians 4:29 and Psalm 19:14, and if possible other parts of the passages. Changing our speech requires letting God change the inner sources from which our speech springs. We want the words of our mouth, AND the meditations of our heart, to be pleasing to God. We aim to be a community in which we “Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.” 

• Scholar N. T. Wright, commenting on Ephesians 4:25-32, said, “Living as a Christian demands that we grow up in our thinking: you have to learn to identify your own moods and behaviour patterns, to see which ones are going in the right direction and which ones in the wrong direction ... we should regard our moods, and the speech which flows from them, as we might a strong but wilful horse, which needs to be reminded frequently of the direction we’re supposed to be going in.” When did you last say words that hurt, and then ask yourself, “Why did I say that?” What helps you to understand your “interior landscape” better, to keep you from blurting out words you regret and wish you could take back? 

Pray. Lord of my life, be Lord of my words. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you, Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST

Doug Lawson. Bobby Roberts. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Jeff. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. 

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation. 

Each day say our two theme verses. To help you do this, download our smartphone and tablet wallpaper: https://www.decaturumc.com/sermons/the-power-of-words. 

Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

Read. James 1:26-27
26 If those who claim devotion to God don’t control what they say, they mislead themselves. Their devotion is worthless.27 True devotion, the kind that is pure and faultless before God the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their difficulties and to keep the world from contaminating us.
Reflect. James used strong language—not angry, but strong. He said if people don’t control their words, “their devotion is worthless.” Some people then (and now) used angry, ugly criticisms of “the wicked” (however they defined that) to try to show everyone else how devoted they were to 
God. It didn’t work, James said—speaking that way was disobedience to God, not devotion. True devotion, he said, shows when we care for and help the weak, not in reckless speech. 

• Ordinary Christians suffered from the social and legal persecution they faced. But those
  things were even harder on orphans and widows, who had no family and no legal standing to protect them at all. Which, James asked, would help them more—a biting, angry tirade against the oppressors, or a tangible act of love and assistance? How can we apply the principle behind his words to the situations we face today? 
• We live in a world where tweets, anonymous comment boards and a 24-hour news cycle seem, at times, to bombard us with contentious, belittling speech. James wrote that one aspect of devotion to God is “to keep the world from contaminating us.” How do you actively seek to keep our world’s barrage of negativity from contaminating you? What choices help you do that? 

Pray. Almighty God, you love me. You know that elevated blood pressure and a pulse racing from anger are hurtful, not helpful. Guide me toward your pure, peaceable approach to life. Amen. 

COMMUNITY PRAYER LIST

Doug Lawson. Bobby Roberts. Collier. Glenn Ethridge. Adam Funderburk.  Mary Reber.  Linda Harmon. Betty Carolyn Ward. Jeff. Albert Rasanke. Lois Robinson. Ross Henley. Tiny & Donald Creasman. Bill and Barbara Buchanan. Bonnie Brenner. Baker Family. Robert McKenzie Family. Kibler family. Carolyn Harlow. Jeff Green. Earl Graves. Mickey Huff. Huff & Welch families. Helen Leigh. Paul Huffman. Schools, Teachers, Staff, Parents, Students. Church regathering plans. Layman family. Charlene Withrow. Brandon Casteel. Dirk Orr family. Smith family. Crowder family. Lillard family. Family of Floyd Eaton. Family of Eddie Rynes. Robertson Family. Harmon Family. 

Acknowledgement:
Our current teaching series, The Power of Words, was adapted from a series developed by our partners at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection and used with permission. Many of the resources and graphics are provided by our partners. During this series, our Read.Reflect.Pray guide publishes the daily devotional guide (called Grow, Pray, Study) from our partners with minor adaptation.