THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH AND MY THOUGHTS

Proclamation:

“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."  Psalms 19:14 (NIV)

Explanation:

King David, a man after the heart of God, prayed this prayer out of his sincere desire to please God.  He had asked God for forgiveness of his sins, and he asked God to keep him from committing sin unintentionally and willfully. (Psalms 19:12-13)  Here he is praying for Him to guide his words and his thoughts, so that they might also be pleasing to The Lord.  He knows that his help, his strength, and his salvation all come from The Lord.

Application:

We would do well to ask God to forgive our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, and to ask for His help to avoid unintentional and intentional sins.  We all need His help because we sin by omission as well as by commission.  David said that The Word of God warns us, and we are rewarded for obeying it. (Psalms 19:9-11)  We will be judged on our thoughts, (1 Samuel 16:7) our spoken words, (Matthew 12:36) and our actions. (Jeremiah 17:10 and 32:19, and Revelation 20:12)  We will also be judged on the things which we should have done but omitted. (Matthew 25:45)  David was a man after the heart of God because he had a sincere desire to please God.  Although he had sinned, he prayed frequently, and he asked God to forgive him, and he asked God to guide his thoughts, words, and deeds.  It would be good for us to do likewise.  We should pray that not only our actions would be pleasing to The Lord, but that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts would be pleasing to Him.

Renewing Our Minds

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will."  Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Under the influence and guidance of The Holy Spirit of God, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the believers in Rome to encourage them not to conform to the ways of the world, but to transform themselves by renewing their minds in the ways of God.

We are encouraged to be living sacrifices to The Lord God.  We are to behave in a Christ-like manner so as to please God.  We are not to behave as the unsaved people of the world behave.  We are to transform our walk and our talk by the renewing our mind in the ways of The Lord so that the Light of Christ that is within us, can shine through us, which is God's will for us.  The unsaved people of this world are controlled by Satan, (2 Corinthians 4:4), and he does it  through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16)  Believers are not of this world as Christ was not of this world. (John 8:23 and 18:36)  We need to continually renew our minds so that our minds will be like the mind of Christ. (Philippians 2:5)

Study The Bible And Avoid Idle Conversation

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."  2 Timothy 2:15-16 (NIV)  The King James Version says "Study to show thyself approved unto God..." 

These are the words of that prolific New Testament writer, the Apostle Paul, to his young protege in the ministry, Timothy.  Paul was encouraging Timothy to diligently apply himself  to the study of The Word of God. so that he would understand it, and be able to explain it to the people and thereby please The Lord.  Paul told him to avoid idle conversation and arguments, and to kind and gentle as he teaches The Word of God. (2 Timothy 2:16 and 23-26)

Most of us do not read the Bible as often as we should.  Studying The Word of God requires much more than just reading it.  Study entails developing an appreciation for the context in which something was said or done, looking up the definition of words, and comparing the content of a verse with other Bible verses that address the same content.  We all should read and study much more.  Here Paul urges Timothy to study and to do his best to correctly present The Word of God.  He told him not to be ashamed of his efforts but to be careful in the manner in which he speaks and teaches.  We would all also do well to heed Paul's warning to avoid idle godless conversation. Jesus, The Christ said that we would be judged on every idle word that we speak. (Matthew 12:36)  Christ also said that by our words we would be justified, and by our words we would be condemned. (Matthew 12:37)  Much of what we say could be left unspoken, because it is not helpful, and it does not praise God or give Him glory. As servants of The Lord we are not to quarrel with others, we are to kindly tell them what The Lord says. (2 Timothy 2:23-26)  It is the job and sanctifying work of The Holy Spirit to convict, convince, and convert them as He deems necessary. (2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:2)  If they will not hear us, or listen to us, it is better for us to just walk away than to argue with them. (Mark 6:11)  We should always be mindful of the fact that our behavior may be the only "Bible" that they will ever read.

The Words Of My Mouth

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."  Psalms 19:14 (NIV)

King David, a man after the heart of God, prayed this prayer out of his sincere desire to please God.  He had asked God for forgiveness of his sins, and he asked God to keep him from committing sin unintentionally and willfully. (Psalms 19:12-13)  Here he is praying for Him to guide his words and his thoughts, that they might pleasing to The Lord.  He knows that his help, his strength, and his salvation all come from The Lord.

We would do well to ask God to forgive our sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, and to ask for His help avoid unintentional and intentional sins.  We need His help because we sin by omission as well as by commission.  David said that The Word of God warns us, and we are rewarded for obeying it. (Psalms 19:9-11)  We will be judged on our thoughts, spoken words, and our actions. (1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10 and 32:19, Matthew 12:36, and Revelation 20:12)  We will also be judged on the things which we should have done but omitted. (Matthew 25:45)  David was a man after the heart of God because he had a sincere desire to please God.  Although he had sinned, he prayed frequently, and he asked God to forgive him, and he asked God to guide his thoughts, words, and deeds.  We would do good to do likewise.  We should pray that not only our actions would be pleasing to The Lord, but that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts would be pleasing to Him.

Live In Order To Please God

"Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living.  Now we ask you and urge you in The Lord Jesus to do this more and more."  1 Thessalonians 4:1 (NIV)

In his letter to the Thessalonian believers, the Apostle Paul said that his purpose for teaching them was so that they would know how to live to please God, and so that they would do that more often.

We have to be taught how to walk with God and how to please Him.  Only through The Word of God can we learn how to please Him.  Only by instruction in His Word can we learn how to behave and conduct ourselves in a manner which pleases God.  Living to please God means living according to His Word, hearing it, believing it, reading it, following it, and loving it.  And not just doing this once in a while, but doing it more and more, and more frequently.  No matter how good our Christian walk may be, there is always room for improvement and growing closer to God.  Living to please God is a continuous process which requires a daily devotion and commitment.  As Christians, this is how we ought to live.

Live Worthy Please God Do Good And Grow In God

"And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of The Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,"  Colossians 1:10 (NIV)

This is the prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed for the Christian believers in the church at Colossi.  His prayer was that they would, one, live in such a way so as to be worthy of being named after The Lord; and two, so that what they did would be pleasing to The Lord; and three,  that they would be productive and bear good fruit of good works; and four, that they would continue to grow in the knowledge of God.

This is a prayer that we should pray for someone that we love with an agape kind of love.  We should be able to pray this prayer for all of our Christian brothers and sisters, and really mean it when we say it.  We should pray that all of us would hear The Word of God, then believe it and live it.  In all that we do, we should endeavor to please The Lord.  Since the world will know a tree by the fruit that it bears, likewise shall we be known. (Matthew 7:15-20)  Good people will produce good fruit.  We should also pray that each of us will grow daily in the knowledge and holiness of God. (1 Peter 2:2 and 2 Peter 3:18) 

We Can't Please Man And Please God

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

In his letter to the Galatian Christians, the Apostle Paul said that if he were trying to win the approval of men, he would not be a servant of Christ. Paul knew that he could not please God and man at the same time.

Today, we need to know and understand that we cannot please God and please man at the same time.  Paul said the same thing to the Christians in Thessalonica. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)  We can only please, follow, and serve only one or the other.  No man can serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13)  We must choose who we will serve and try to please. (Joshua 24:15)   The carnal mind of man is at enmity with God (Romans 8:7), and anyone who wants to be friends with the world, and please man, is an enemy of God. (James 4:4)  Unless a man submits to God, he is controlled by his sinful nature, and those controlled by their sinful nature cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)

Don't Go Along With The Crowd

"When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.  'I am innocent of this man's blood,' he said.  'It is your responsibility!'   All the people answered, 'Let His blood be on us and on our children!'   Then he released Barabbas to them.  But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified."  Matthew 27:24-26 (NIV)

After he heard what Jesus said, Pilate washed his hands of the matter because he found no fault with Jesus.  However, he ordered that Jesus be flogged before he turned Him over to the solders to be crucified.

Pilate gave in and went along with the request of the crowd, even though in his heart he knew that Jesus was not guilty of any crime.  Washing his hands did not absolve Pilate of the sin of condeming an innocent man.  He also had Jesus flogged before he handed Him over to the solders.  Pilate was trying to please the crowd.  It is hard to stand alone and go against the crowd, even when we know that what the crowd wants is wrong.  In order to be popular, to fit in, or to be accepted by the group, we frequently cave in to peer pressure.  As Christians, we are not to conform to the ways of the worldly.  (Romans 12:2)   We are in this world, but we are not of this world.  We are to be like Christ who said that He was not of this world.  (John 8:23 & 18:36)  We are not to yield to the temptation of the world or of the crowd, for yielding is sin.

Serve And Follow Christ

"Whoever serves Me must follow Me; and where I am, My servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves Me."  John 12:26 (NIV)

Near the end of His three year earthly ministry, after He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and after He predicted His death, Jesus then said whoever serves Him must also follow Him, and God will honor them for doing so.

In order to serve The Lord, we must believe in Him and we must follow Him.  We must follow His teaching, His principals, His example, and walk as He walked.  By doing so, we glorify Him, and for doing so, God, The Father, will confer honor upon us.  By serving Him now here on earth, one day we will be with Him in heaven.

Fasting And Praying

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)

As part of His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that when men fast, it should be done in secret as a private matter between them and God.  One should not look as if one is fasting, but rather one should  look normal as though they are not fasting.  It should not be done for the praise of men. 

Periods of fasting and praying should be a personal matter between the believer and God.  Fasting should be spiritual and purposeful.  Part of the reason for fasting should be seeking the will of God, to know it, to understand it, and to comply with it.  In order to do that we need God's help.  The duration and the extent of our fasts may vary, but the spiritual nature of fasting should always be maintained.  As we prepare for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savor, Jesus Christ, a period of fasting and praying would be appropriate as we rededicate ourselves to Him and His Word.

Who Are You Trying To Please?

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul asked the rhetorical question, am I trying to please men or please God?  Acknowledging that he used to try to please men, but he makes it clear that if he were still trying to please men, then he would not be a servant of Christ.

If we are honest with ourselves, we like getting the approval of our fellow man.  We do things for "show" which we feel make us look good in the eyes of men.  The problem is we cannot please man and please God at the same time.  If we would act and speak in such a way as to please God, then pleasing our mate, our boss, and our friends would be taken care of.  People who do not approve of our God pleasing behavior are probable not the kind of people that we should be associating with anyway.  The Bible says that we can't serve two masters; we can't serve God and serve man at the same time. (Matthew 6:24)  It appears that the same it true for pleasing God and man.  We must each choose who will try to please.  My suggestion is please choose wisely.

We Must Believe And Have Faith

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
The unknown author of the book of Hebrews tells the scattered believers in Christ about having faith, sighting as examples Abel, Enoch, Noah, and Abraham. His point is that without having faith it is impossible to please God. They must believe in God, believe that He is real, and believe that He will bless those who sincerely seek Him.
The author’s point is just as relevant today as it was then, without faith it is impossible to please God. Just going through some ritualistic religious activities, in church or elsewhere, does not mean that God will be pleased. The Pharisees practiced a number of religious activities, but Jesus called them hypocrites and said that their worship was in vain. (Matthew 15:6-9) If we do not sincerely believe in Him, then our attempts at worship is just a waste of time. He blesses those who believe and have faith in Him, and who sincerely seek a closer walk with Him.

The Steps Of A Good Man Are Ordered By The Lord

"If The Lord delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for The Lord upholds him with His hand."  Psalms 37:23-24 (NIV)

In this psalm David states that even a strong good man must be guided and supported by The Lord.  And even if he stumbles, he will be upheld by the hand of God.  The righteous will do the right thing and God will bless them for it.

A righteous man is directed by The Lord.  God is pleased when we follow His Word.  Although we may stumble, sin, or suffer material loss, we will recover from our temporary setbacks, because we are in God's hand.  Our daily prayer ought to be, "Please, Lord, order my steps in Your Word."

Let Us Do Better At Giving God Glory Honor And Respect

"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due Me? If I am a master, where is the respect due Me?" says The Lord Almighty." Malachi 1:6 (NIV)

The prophet Malachi was chastising the priests for not giving God their bests during their sacrifices. They were sacrificing wounded, diseased, and crippled animals upon the altar instead of animals without spot or blemish. Malachi told them that God was not pleased with them.

The prophet was directing these comments and questions to the priests. However, they also can be applied to us today. We do not show God the honor and respect that is due to Him. We don't give God our best. We don't keep His commandments. We don't follow His word in our daily lives. We don't read and study His word daily as we should. We don't pray and thank Him enough. We don't or talk like He is in our hearts. We don't tell others about Him or what He has done for us. We don't act like everyday is a day of thanksgiving and not just worship time on Sunday. We say that we love Him, let us try to let our actions match our words more with each passing day.

Don't Conform But Transform And Renew Your Mind

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: 'Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.' " Romans 12:1-3 (NIV)

In his letter to the Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul exhorted them to live as living sacrifices unto The Lord. He encouraged them to change their lives and no longer conform to the sinful patterns of this world, but to transform and renew their minds in order to do God's will. He told them not to think so highly of themselves in their current sinful positions.

The same could be said of us today, we need to change the way that we conduct our lives. We need to live our lives to please God and stop imitating the sinful worldly people that we see in life or on TV. We need to renew and refresh our minds with The Word of God and seek to please The Lord. Most of us think to highly of ourselves. We wrongfully think that the world would be a better place if everybody in it thought and acted just like us. If that were the case, truly a lot of bad things that now happen would no longer happen. However, there are a lot of good things that now happen which would no longer happen because we do not do them. We all need to do a better job of being Christ-like and that begins with transforming our thoughts and actions and renewing our minds with The Word of God.

Aim To Please God In All That You Do

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for The Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from The Lord as a reward. It is The Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism." Colossians 3:23-25 (NIV)

"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom ... The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: " Ecclesiastes 9:10-12 (NIV)

These two passages of scripture basically make the same point. As King Solomon wrote to all who would listen and the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Colossae, when you work, "... do it with all your might ..." and "... work at it with all your heart ..." as if you are working for The Lord.

Everyone who is old enough to have even a vague understanding of life knows that they will die, they just don't know when it will happen. There is a purpose for our life, and a purpose for everything that we say and do. However, if that purpose was not to give God glory, then it was a wasted effort. We should do our best at everything that we do, because ultimately we are doing it to please God. Man's abilities do not guarantee good results or a positive outcome during life, or at life's end. In the end, God will judge our efforts, and the reward for our labor will come from God, not from man.

Our Words Thoughts And Hidden Sins

"Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:12-14 (NIV)

Some people feel that if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds, then they are okay with God. The problem with that thinking is we do not really know what is good or bad from God's perspective. We think that some things are neutral, neither good or bad. The Bible says that all unrighteousness is sin. We commit sins that we are unaware of, in addition to those that we commit knowingly.

Therefore we should ask God for forgiveness of all of the sins we committed consciously and unconsciously, as well as sins of omission in addition to sins of commission. We should pray for God's help to guide our words and our thoughts, as well as our actions, that they may please Him. We need His help to keep our sinful nature from having rule over us and to keep us from hidden sins and willful sins.

A New Beginning

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

The beginning of a new year is a good time for a new beginning within your life. A change in you to go along with the change in time. There are things, habits, and people in all of our lives that we should let go of. We need to live our lives to please God. We need to stop acting like the unsaved people in the world. We need to change our way of thinking, transform and renew our mind, in order to be more consistent with the will of God.

With the beginning of the new year, let us renew our minds and begin a new beginning, a life dedicated to being more Christ -like.

Watch Your Words

Watch what you say, before you speak, pray this prayer, or something just like it.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalms 19:14

We really ought to be much more careful regarding the words that we speak. Even what we think should be pleasing to God. We will be judged by not only that which we do, but also by what we say and think. (Read Matthew 12:36-37 & Matthew 5:28 & Proverbs 23:7)

When you pray, ask for forgiveness for sinful deeds, spoken words, and thoughts.

Where's The Fruit?

You joined the Church during childhood and you have been a Christian for years. Where is the fruit of your Christian walk? What are the results of all of your years of serving The Lord?

"Ye shall know them by their fruit ... good tree bringeth forth good fruit ... By their fruits shall ye know them ..." Matthew 7:16-20

What have you done for The Lord? Have you led some lost soul to Christ? How many suffering saints have you helped? What have you done to give God glory?

These are questions that every Christian should ask themselves every day? We are not supposed to rest on our laurels because of what we did yesterday, last week, last month, last year, or whenever it was in the past. This a daily battle that we are engaged in and we need to be about The Lord's work on a daily basis.

So what have you done for Him lately? Where's the fruit of your Christian walk?