Stewardship –  
                     

I’ll just go ahead and admit I used to get my feelings hurt when many people—colleagues, acquaintances, "friends"—laughingly (!!) accused me of running my mouth a lot. I was incensed, nay —crushed that they thought I talked too much. Resolving that I would only listen, smile, and nod, I was a sanctimonious sphinx. Well, as you might imagine, that didn’t last long; but you’d be amazed at those very same people who immediately worried that I was sick!

The woeful truth is, (and oh, this hurts) I DO talk a lot; and when I contemplate the utter unproductivity and uselessness of about 99% of that cheerful chirping or that nasty nattering, I am appalled. Where, oh where is the conversation "full of grace, seasoned with salt" that Paul urged the Colossians to adopt? In fact, there are so many verses regarding the deadly tongue in scripture that I absolutely cringe to remember them! Every time I do think about "whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable," the phone rings, and lo and behold, dirt is dished up like it was caviar. Oh, Loving Lord and Father, help me to be a conscientious steward of every single pea-brain thought and every spoken syllable that leaves my lips, that they may honor You and bring glory to the Gospel of Christ!

When I get to Heaven, I’ll probably live next door to James, who’ll be horrified that the one Talking Tohill will be hanging over the back fence, just frantic for a chat. Thank you, Jesus, that every single gossipy, grouchy, sarcastic, mean phrase in my mouth will have been cleansed! Who knows? Ol’ Jim might be my new best friend! However, I don’t need to wait—the half-brother of Jesus has plenty of scary wisdom for me right NOW! Chapter 3 describes the tongue as a "fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by HELL." Now, friends, I don’t know about you, but news like that will shut me up real quick! And he’s not talking just about gossip! Let’s not forget lying, curses, discouraging or disparaging words, and a favorite sacred cow of some Christians as well as pagans—OFF-COLOR JOKES!

OK, that’s it. If I still have any friends left, they’ll be heading out of Dodge on a fast horse, totally convinced that I’m a finger-shaking, tongue-clucking, puritanical fuddy-duddy. But the very same mouths that can raise up glorious hymns of praise to our Magnificent Jehovah can just as easily blister ears with sad, contrived "humor" that isn’t even funny. How can we, sons and daughters of THE KING, so completely turn off our Christian convictions? We might not steal or cheat on our income taxes or covet our neighbor’s Jaguar, but we can spew the foulest garbage from our mouths! How on earth can we reconcile this incredible oxymoronic behavior? We live in the very presence of the Savior, yet we do not hesitate to offend Him.

AND LET’S TALK ABOUT E-MAIL! I get, what what seems like volumes, of those sticky ooey-gooey stories of starving, innocent children in the snow, or awful poetry—none of which contains the slightest GRANULE of decent scriptural theology, but at least is inoffensive (except to anyone who reads above a 3rd grade level). Right along with those, I get the uncomfortable, suggestive or downright blatantly execrable "jokes." Ooooh, I just felt my name being hotly deleted from half the address books in town….

Please forgive me—it is not my wish to offend or point fingers. All ten of mine are placed firmly on my own miserable sinful self; and, for pity’s sake, it’s not pornography or blasphemy or sacrilege. But I pray that God would have us live coram Deo—before His very face—that we as His stewards might bring glory and honor and praise to His inestimable Name, that nonbelievers would see Christ through us—our words, our mouths, and our hearts. Oh, Lord, I am a hypocritical two-mouthed sinner! Please convict and cleanse me that the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, my Rock and my Redeemer!