Wholesome, Healing, Pure, Simple, Virtuous Speech

The Language of Wisdom

As a student of History I often copy the words of great men and women who had a positive impact on others, who led as disciples, followers of Jesus Christ.  Martin Luther King, Jr. says that a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.  In all sincerity I believe that he was absolutely correct.  Words are the medium by which we influence thought, learning, and change.  Actions are equally important, because they model the reality of what one says, or reveal the hypocrisy of the speaker.  Yet our culture seems bent upon destroying wholesome, healing, pure, simple, virtuous speech in favor of indecent, injurious, dishonest, abstruse, and vile talk.  To what purpose?

When our nation was first getting on its feet a great man named George Washington spoke about this trend.  "The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it."  Jonathan Witherspoon was a contemporary of George Washington, and president of Princeton University.  Note his depiction of a true American patriot:  "[He] is the best friend to American liberty  who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down on profanity and immorality of every kind.  Whoever is an avowed enemy of God I scruple not (would not hesitate) to call him an enemy to this country."

Of course men like George Washington, and Jonathan Witherspoon would be banned from our schools today, because they believed and insisted upon having the Bible in our classrooms and teaching our children from a very young age the principles of Christianity.  Men like James Madison would also be banned.  Of America's future he had this to say:  "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."  Yet today, the very thing he claimed would protect our future, is no longer permitted in public schools.  The Ten Commandments have been removed.  To what purpose?

Abraham Lincoln understood the purpose.  It was he who said "The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."  The purpose is to remove that nasty, judgmental, prejudiced principle that goodness has value, because without that "stupid" concept nobody has to feel bad about what they do.  Yet Abraham Lincoln warned us!  "America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."  Martin Luther King Jr. nailed it when he commented upon American culture in his day.  "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."

Our colleges and universities became hotbeds of liberal and now revisionist thinking, and those of us possessed of common sense and decency were silent.  In America today we are reaping the results of the "cultural and sexual revolution" of the past three quarters of a century.  However!  There is no cause to despair!  Being fearful of what may come won't help either.  Rather we should realize that the so called "silent" majority is not silent!  And we're not worried either.  Despite the horrific injustices and complete self-centeredness of a large percentage of current government officials, the apathy within the Christian Church, and the deplorable conditions of a culture raging against all that is good and wholesome those who follow Christ remain steadfast and unmoved.

Nor is our cry "Listen to us!  We're right!"  Those of us who truly follow Jesus know better than that.  Our cry is usually: "Forgive us for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God."  Jim Elliott penned those words.  If you don't know who he was that fact would not matter to him.  It was he who said:  "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."  Like Abraham Lincoln who wrote these words he believed the truth in them.  "Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition."

We stand humbly with Jude who wrote these words in his letter, verse 24-25:  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen." NASB

Here's how The Message states those verses:  "And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating–– to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes."  The Amplified Bible puts it this way:  Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight] —
 To the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity). Amen (so be it).

  Remember Paul's words in II Corinthians 10:3-5:  "The world is unprincipled. It's dog–eat–dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way––never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God–tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." The Message  Here are those same verses in the Amplified Bible:  "For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.  For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."

Bottom line?  I know God is in control.  God loves me more than I can ever understand or measure, and it has nothing to do with me!  I can't do anything to earn that love!  But I can, and do with my whole heart, accept it!  All authority and power is His!  No government upon this earth can change that fact, no matter how hard it tries.  My days are full of blessing and promise!  I love my Savior, my wife, my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my church, my community, and my country.  So buck up!  Don't give in to the temptation to respond to evil with evil, or to talk a talk that does not represent the purity of our Lord and Savior!  Father, help me.  Holy Spirit, inspire and correct and teach me so that my lips are filled with words of goodness and wisdom.  Lord Jesus, You never disconnect from me, but I am prone to disconnect from You!  Thank You for keeping me in Your loving hands!