When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 Dr. Ray Pritchard cited this passage from Deuteronomy in a recent blog post titled, "Writing the Bible can be Good for Your Soul". The whole article is interesting and thought provoking but don't take my word for it read it for yourself at:http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/pritchard/11581909/. After reading this article i felt convicted to take up the practice of writing through the Bible myself. Unsure of where to start, i started at the beginning...the book of Genesis. However, after three days of writing and still not getting past chapter 1 i began to wonder if i had made the right choice. Then i started a new Bible study and right off the bat we are talking about how we use our tongues. Talk about conviction! Immediately we are taken to James 3:8-10: "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be so." Then the sermon on Sunday night was on the ninth Commandment: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." The third chapter of James was once again referenced at this time. With all this talk about talk i am thinking God is really wanting me to think long and hard about the way i talk. And it is with this in mind that i am starting over tomorrow in my Bible writing. And where will i begin this time? Why, James 3, of course. And from there, wherever He leads me. You see, in my perfectionist thinking i believed i had to write it all in perfect order but my perfect Father seems to have another plan. This should be interesting. I will keep you all posted but before i go i feel led to end with this: "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34 Good night all!
4 comments:
There are so many nuggets of wisdom found in James - a great place to start! I have been covicted lately about my own speech - i.e. my speech to my family. My frustration is easily shown to them over things they have no control. Thanks for the reminder of this verse.
Michelle, i realize how my words can be so sweet with others yet so bitter with my own children. All it takes is one instance of not guarding my lips and the speech that pours from my mouth is so ugly then the kids pick up the venom and spew it from their own mouths. Just like a raging fire that is out of control. So glad God is showing me more patience than i show them. With His help the tongue can be tamed. Let us bring it under His submission!
Michelle, thanks for mentioning my article on writing the Bible. Glad you are trying it for yourself. It's a fun exercise. I think the hardest part is slowing down enough to give yourself time to write. Blessings, Ray Pritchard
Thank you, Mr. Pritchard for visiting and for taking the time to leave your comments. Keep up the good work you are doing! Sincerely,charis
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