Day of Praise

Fri, 05/19/17, "Day of Praise"

"Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment." - Proverbs 12:19

I understand that Abraham Lincoln once said, "No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar." And it follows then that if part of continuous living is being remembered, then the "unsuccessful liar" can't even remember himself, which means that their lie lasts only a moment. Oh, that's what God had already said long ago, "A lying tongue lasts only a moment" (Proverbs 12:19).

Well, anyway, what was mostly put on my heart with today's Bible verse is this question: "What are your lips bearing?"

And I don't feel preachy, so I just want to offer one simple thought from the Bible verse. 

If you have a person in your life, who is "dying on the vine" spiritually, then please love them enough for your lips to bear the truth of the word of God. 

Please don't tell them, "It's all gonna be okay" or anything else that sounds nice but doesn't speak The Truth to them. God's word is Truth. And when you speak God's word of Truth to someone, then you're breathing life into the "dying vine" of their soul. 

So often we're so worried about sounding spiritually "uppity" to someone that we speak our words to them instead of God's Word. To begin, just read your Bible or read some Biblically-rooted devotional material and latch on to the words that breathe life into your soul. And then take those same words that encouraged you and speak them to that friend of yours who is dying on the vine. 

I'm not trying to turn everyone into a preacher or an evangelist. All I want is what you want. I want to live in a world where marriages last. Where parents make lasting impressions. Where friendships last. Where companies thrive...and last. Where coaches and teachers and scout leaders and professors and mail carriers and garbage men and mayors and governors and presidents make positive and life-giving and lasting impressions. 

And God's word says that the only way that a world like that is gonna be and is gonna last and is gonna be filled with positive things that last is if we trust God enough to have courage enough to love enough for our lips to bear the truth of the word of God.

"Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment." - Proverbs 12:19

Praise God!