When George H. W. Bush was running for president of the United States in 1988, he admitted he’d made an inappropriate remark about American journalist Dan Rather and White House correspondent Lesley Stahl after an on-air confrontation. Bush referred to Rather in an unprintable term, and also took God’s name in vain in speaking about the Columbia Broadcasting System. When confronted, he said, ‘If I’d known the microphone was on I wouldn’t have taken the Lord’s name in vain, and I apologise for that.’ The fact is, he shouldn’t have said it whether the tape was running or not. Remember, God’s tape is always running! The Bible says, ‘A man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all his paths’ (Proverbs 5:21 NIV 1984 Edition).
Centuries ago Jesus declared: ‘There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs’ (Luke 12:2-3 NIV 2011 Edition).
Take a moment and consider these two Scriptures: ‘The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil’ (Proverbs 15:28 NIV 2011 Edition). ‘The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse’ (Proverbs 10:32 NIV 1984 Edition).
The first Scripture tells you that a wise person will think before he or she speaks, because they realise every word has a consequence. The second Scripture tells you that a righteous person automatically knows what’s acceptable, and keeps in mind the fact that God hears every word.
2 King 24-25, Acts 13:26-52
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