MEMORISE:
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. James 3:6
READ: 2 Samuel 6:20-23
20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
MESSAGE
As precious and indispensable as the tongue is, it can be dangerous when used improperly. According to today’s memory verse, the misuse of the tongue is actually injurious to the entire human body. We see this truth play out in today’s Bible text. Michal daughter of Saul, the first king of Israel, misused her tongue, and her body physically suffered the grave consequence that followed. Her husband, King David, had just had a very nice time praising and worshiping the Lord with singing and dancing, also offering sumptuous sacrifices of oxen and fatlings. Micah, who ordinarily should have joined her husband, looked through a window and saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord. This was a shameful sight to her, and she despised him for it in her heart. When David returned home later that day, out of the abundance of heart, she ridiculed him with her words in 2 Samuel 6:20, saying:
“…How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!”
David’s response to these words shows that he knew what he was doing as a genuine and addicted worshipper of God. Even though he did not in any way curse or insult Michal, her utterance brought a curse on her, which she took to the grave. 2 Samuel 6:23 says:
“Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.”
Working in the same spirit as Michal, some people came to me some years ago to dissuade me from praising my God with Ewi (special poetic renditions in my native Yoruba language), which I had vowed to be doing during our annual conventions. The reasoning behind their suggestion was very funny to me. They said I was too big to be chanting Ewi and that I should leave such things to the youths! I laughed and felt sorry for them because I knew they did not know the importance of praise. I also discovered that the reason why some pastors do not participate in praise and worship is that they want to allow the “little ones” do the praise, and later, as big men of God, they would mount the pulpit to dish out the word. What a great mistake this is! I admonish you to stop abusing your tongue because the Bible describes it as a fire that can burn destructively if unguarded (James 3:6). From today, use your tongue only for the beneficial purpose of praising God and lifting up those within your sphere of influence (James 3:8-10).
PRAYER POINT:
Father, please help me to refrain from abusing the tongue You gave me, and grant me grace to use my tongue to praise, bless and glorify Your Name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Corinthians 1-3 Isaiah 62
AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 5: LET OTHERS SEE JESUS IN YOU.
1.While passing thro' this world of sin,
and others your life shall view,
Be clean and pure without, within;
Let others see Jesus in you.
Refrain:
Let others see Jesus in you,
Let others see Jesus in you.
Keep telling the story, be faithful and true;
Let others see Jesus in you.
2. Your life's a book before their eyes,
They're reading it thro' and thro'
Say, does it point them to the skis,
Do others see Jesus in you?
Refrain
3. Then live for Christ both day and night,
Be faithful, be brave and true,
and lead the lost to life and Christ.
Let others see Jesus in you.
Refrain
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