Welcome to the first Sunday of 2020!
The beginning of the year is often a starting point to resolve to improve during the upcoming year. Making New Year resolutions has religious origins going back to the days of the Babylonians. The Romans began each year making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named.
I have to say that I am not big on New Year resolutions (since there is no better time than the present to improve). However, there is one resolution I have attempted time and again that I can’t quite seem to master. I make a resolution to honor my dad.
My dad was a great Christian example for me. One attribute Dad possessed that folks (especially my family) admired is that if he didn’t have anything good to say about someone, he would say nothing at all. How many times have we been told to do that? It is a great practice and he lived it!
The Bible has a lot to say about how we speak. We all know what James says about the tongue and the religion of the one who cannot control it (James 1:26). I am not talking about spreading gossip or necessarily speaking evil about someone. We know the evil thereof! Rather, I am talking about instances involving folks who get under our skin. We may tell what they did to get under our skin, or discuss their wrongdoing or what we perceive as wrongdoing, as opposed to not saying anything at all. These are the situations Satan will use to tempt us most.
Let us all strive to be more mature Christians in 2020. To seek a higher plane, to be doers of the Word!
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).
“To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:2).
For the elders, Tony Williams