“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:34-37
Devotional Thought For The Day
Every politician should be required to take a course in these principles set forth by Jesus before they begin their first and every subsequent campaign. Furthermore, every voter should be required to learn and demonstrate competence in the matter of distinguishing good from evil before being granted the privilege of voting. And since every adult in America is a potential voter, with the same authority and power as any other adult, each of us can think that we are as much an expert as the next guy – with the result that ignorant voters take up the nonsensical campaign slogans of the candidates that promise to float their boat. They too will answer for these words they speak.
I find it one of the most hideous and distasteful things to have to listen to the forms of “persuasion” that now interrupt my peaceful enjoyment of relaxation in front of the television, coming from the crooked mouths of people who have only “evil treasure” within them. It is especially incensing and disgusting to hear people talk of killing embryos with abortifacient drugs, and insisting that this is the right of every woman and that it is no one else’s business. This excuse didn’t work for the German people who minded their own business as the Nazis did their evil work. And it will not work in the long run – when sanity is regained and prevails – for these poor misguided people today. And at the top of the list of misanthropic, villainous criminals, will be the politicians who actually campaigned on the platform of forcing everyone to pay for the destruction of human embryos. “Brood of vipers” is an appropriate characterization, perhaps even a bit too soft.
Of course, the same principle of judgment applies to us – and all of us have spoken many careless, misguided, and evil words. So hopefully we have also spoken truthful words of repentance, confessing our sin and guilt, and have also spoken words of thanks and praise to Jesus for His gracious mercy, love, forgiveness, and cleansing away of our sin and guilt. Yes, and hopefully we have also spoken the same words of love and forgiveness to others, urging them to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord. And if this is the case, hopefully His love and compassion for us has moved us to carefully consider good versus evil, right versus wrong, for this is the criteria that determines whether our own behavior is truly loving, compassionate, kind and good toward others, and consonant with faith in Jesus. It should be obvious that misanthropic hate speech advocating the destruction of human life, regardless of how cleverly it is couched and presented, is utterly inconsonant with any kind of genuine faith in the Lord Jesus. Lord, have mercy!
These issues are being pushed to the furthest extreme these days in America. It is no longer just a false presentation in regard to a woman’s “right,” it is the demand that people who disagree and are repulsed by this bloody destruction of humanity are being forced to participate in it by funding it. This is a most brazen oppression of human hearts, minds, and souls, and threatens many good things. We need to remember that our words matter, are heard and recorded by the Almighty, and that apart from repentance and the cleansing of His forgiveness we will have to give answer for every careless word [and especially every evil word] that we have spoken. Thank God for His gracious mercy; thank God also that He avenges innocent blood, especially against the hardened and impenitent misanthropes of this fallen world!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, have mercy on our nation and turn us away from hard-hearted and murderous ways. Rise up and end the terror that these people have brought into our land, and silence the mouths that pour out evil, evil that is cleverly disguised so that it seems innocuous. We pray that You would preserve us from ever having to participate in this evil. Have mercy on us, O Lord, and grant us courage to say and do what is truly good and right. Amen.