Sunday afternoon, which I think must have been the hottest
day of the year, my daughter decided we should have a lemonade stand. Now, for those of you who have never been by
to see us, you drive past the middle of nowhere, turn right, travel another 5.2
miles and there we are. The good news
is, we don’t have any competitors nearby but the customers are sparse as
well.
day of the year, my daughter decided we should have a lemonade stand. Now, for those of you who have never been by
to see us, you drive past the middle of nowhere, turn right, travel another 5.2
miles and there we are. The good news
is, we don’t have any competitors nearby but the customers are sparse as
well.
We decided to make the most of the time between sales by
reading books she had checked out for school. Gracie pretended she was the school
librarian and read me a book entitled, “Little Bear Brushes His Teeth,” by
Jutta Langreuter. It is a cute story
about a little bear (guess you probably caught that from the title, huh?) who
doesn’t want to brush his teeth. He
loves to pretend he is a soldier so his mother wisely tells him that there is a
battle going on inside his mouth. She
explains that if he doesn’t fight back the bacteria waging war against his
teeth with his toothbrush sword, the bacteria will win, causing him to have
cavities. Brilliant parenting!
reading books she had checked out for school. Gracie pretended she was the school
librarian and read me a book entitled, “Little Bear Brushes His Teeth,” by
Jutta Langreuter. It is a cute story
about a little bear (guess you probably caught that from the title, huh?) who
doesn’t want to brush his teeth. He
loves to pretend he is a soldier so his mother wisely tells him that there is a
battle going on inside his mouth. She
explains that if he doesn’t fight back the bacteria waging war against his
teeth with his toothbrush sword, the bacteria will win, causing him to have
cavities. Brilliant parenting!
Well God is a brilliant parent too and He knows I learn best
from crazy little comparisons that help His Word hit home in my heart. I hope you are the same way or you may never
be able to stick with me and my crazy blog posts. Anyway, as I drove home that same night, sick
with guilt over something I’d just said about a fellow soldier in Christ, this
precious story came flooding back to me.
See, I have a battle going on over my mouth as well and that night I had
let down my guard and let the enemy claim victory over my tongue. I apologized but nothing could reclaim my
words.
from crazy little comparisons that help His Word hit home in my heart. I hope you are the same way or you may never
be able to stick with me and my crazy blog posts. Anyway, as I drove home that same night, sick
with guilt over something I’d just said about a fellow soldier in Christ, this
precious story came flooding back to me.
See, I have a battle going on over my mouth as well and that night I had
let down my guard and let the enemy claim victory over my tongue. I apologized but nothing could reclaim my
words.
There truly is a battle going on for our mouths, but
thankfully God’s Word is “sharper than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)” and
it can help us win! But just like
brushing your teeth is something needed daily in order to keep the cavities at
bay, we need time with our Commander in Chief every day so we can be prepared
for the front-lines. Matthew 6:45 tells
us, ““for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” To keep our mouths in check, we’ve got to
keep our hearts in check and God’s Word is the perfect heart monitor:
thankfully God’s Word is “sharper than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)” and
it can help us win! But just like
brushing your teeth is something needed daily in order to keep the cavities at
bay, we need time with our Commander in Chief every day so we can be prepared
for the front-lines. Matthew 6:45 tells
us, ““for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” To keep our mouths in check, we’ve got to
keep our hearts in check and God’s Word is the perfect heart monitor:
- Words
said flippantly without a thought of their repercussions – “The
heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked
pours out evil things.” Proverbs
15:28
- Gossip disguised as a prayer request – “Let no corrupting talk come out of
your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the
occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29
- Snide comments about someone who has
wronged us – “There is one
whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings
healing.” Proverbs 12:18
- Or information that
just isn’t ours to share – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does
not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is
worthless.” James 1:26
P.S – Gracie made $10 in two hours. Who can say no to a kid with a broken arm?
September 20, 2013 at 2:53 pm
I love the Ephesians verse. I think we all struggle with this "war" sometimes.