Bringing It All Together

Two comments that I have sought to live by:

• "When you mess up, fess up." 

• "Confession is to be as wide as the sin."

I got to demonstrate both of these this morning as my attempt at humor was made at the expense of another.  Some tried to assure me that my comments were not inappropriate but I felt in my spirit that they were.  I take seriously the scripture,  "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his  tongue , he deceives himself and his religion is worthless" (James 1:26).  

Immediately after I made the joke I regretted it, and as I began preaching my spirit was troubled.  When the Holy Spirit is nudging you it is best to pay attention.  The Spirit continued to bother me as we read Psalm 118 together.  During the singing of the three praise songs I knew I needed to let the congregation in on my internal struggle before we ate the bread and drank the cup together. 

I hope that God used the sermon to do some good, but all I can reflect on this afternoon is the lesson the Spirit was teaching me.  Two other passages come to my mind this afternoon,   "Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1).  God does hold teachers to a higher standard simply because we to be among the most mature spiritually.  "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." (1 Timothy 4:16).  I want my life example to preach as loudly as my formal sermons.  I want my heart to be sensitive enough so that I don't let "small things" go unnoticed and grow into "big things".