THINKing before we Speak,

How do we protect our church, our families, and our work ethic from the erosion brought about by the tongue? If we aren’t careful, the tongue will get you into trouble. As a Pastor, I am well aware of this truth. I used Tim Ebert as an illustration about prayer requests turning into gossip in last Sunday’s sermon. I was just trying to make an illustration of how we twist prayer requests into gossip. In my attempt to prove a point I used Tim as an example. There was nothing negative that I was trying to convey about Tim. I must not have made myself clear that it was just an illustration and nothing more.
Sometimes, we aren’t clear or maybe we are misunderstood. James tells us that the tongue is an untamable beast. The King James version calls the tongue an “unruly evil.” The tongue in itself is not evil, but is an overflow of what is inside the person. The bible says that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. If you hang out with someone long enough, you see what is on the inside of that person.
Alan Redpath, who once pastored the large Moody Church in Chicago wrote how he once encouraged the members of his church, during a particularly  stressful time in their church history, to subscribe to a simple formula before speaking.
He wanted them to think before speaking.  It was an acrostic - T.H.I.N.K. (and you know I love acrostics)
 
T – for, Is it true?
H – for, Is it helpful?
I – for, Is it inspirational?
N – for, Is it Necessary?
K – for, Is it Kind?
 
If it didn’t pass the T.H.I.N.K. test, it wasn’t spoken to another person.
That’s good advice for the church, but it’s good advice for life.  If you’re running down your coworkers or your boss (with your words) – you're wrong.  As a believer, you have no business working with that attitude.  The THINK test will revolutionize your work environment, and it just may revolutionize your home and your church environment as well.
 
This Sunday (Palm Sunday), we are having the Lord’s Supper. It is a time where we will reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (the body and the blood). As we move toward Sunday worship, let me encourage you to examine yourself (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). When we examine ourselves, we look deep into our hearts. Examine your motives. Examine your attitude. Examine your relationships. Examine your life to see if there is any wicked way in you (Psalms 139:23-24). Ask God for His cleansing and purification. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). I look forward to our worship together this coming Sunday. I can’t wait to tell you about my Jesus.
See you Sunday!

Pastor Todd