Pastor's Corner - Feb. 27, 2020

"If you always tell the truth you never have to

change your story!!" --Mark Twain

"To thine own self be true..." -- Shakespeare

I suppose that being reared by a father who could accept just about any frailty from his kids except lying, the thoughts of today ring as true as any in my spirit. Yet in our society today we are bombarded by the "situational ethics" that says it is okay to lie, stretch or "sugarcoat the truth," especially if it benefits our personal happiness or success.

Jesus says, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" in one passage and in another that instructs "...let your yea be yea and your nay be nay." Oh, yes there is another exhortation that says: "You shall give account for every idle word spoken."

Will we ever learn that words contain power and can form and produce one's future? If an individual thinks and speaks something often enough and for a long enough period of time, sure enough it will come to pass. In wisdom literature, Solomon writes that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

Today, with the internet, 24-hour news and Facebook, a word idly spoken can spread throughout the world in a matter of minutes. With all the social networking out there today we need to "see" each word before thrusting it out for all the network to read -- I think my parents used caution us to "think before you talk" -- made sense then and makes even more sense today.

Hope this doesn't sound to "sermonizing," but oh, well some of you missed church this week, so there is your sermon.

Love to all and thanks for reading,

Jim Neal is pastor of First Southern Baptist Church in Shafter.