BBD 08.03.21 Crude and Rude (Classic)

#1 · August 3, 2021, 2:47 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on August 3, 2021, 2:47 pm
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

03 August 2021

Crude and Rude

Indeed,
we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole
body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce
winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even
so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a
forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.
The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets
on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. - James 3:3-6.

Out of
the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not to be so. - James 3:10.

A
survey conducted by Public Agenda found that 79% believe that the lack of
respect and courtesy in the United States is a serious problem and most
believed it was becoming worse. Surprisingly many people admitted during the
survey that they were rude themselves and more than a third admitted to using
foul language in public. Those surveyed blamed their rudeness on a variety of
things from overcrowding in public places to busy lives. Some researchers such
as Harvard University professor Robert D. Putnam say that rudeness is a result
of increasing social isolation in our society.

Being a
pastor, I live in a somewhat sheltered environment rarely hearing a rude or
unkind word because people are careful what they say when they are around me. I
have heard the argument from some people that they cannot control their speech,
but this is not true. We can control what we say if we have a desire to do so.
No, it will not be without effort, but we can do it just as people usually
control what they say when they are at church or visiting with their pastor.

While I
was a parole officer a young man was brought into the city jail on several
offenses. At first, I didn’t know who it was uttering the foulest most
offensive language I had ever heard. When I asked the jailer, I found out it
was a son of a couple that went to our church, and I knew the young man. When I
walked up to the cell and said “hello” the tirade instantly ended, and he said “Mr. Wrather.” He
began speaking in a completely different way including phrases such as “yes, sir,” and “no, sir.” Since
that time, he has gone from bad to worse and has been in prison for several
years. I still have hope; however, that this young man will turn to God.

God is
still the answer to our speech problem even today. Our busy lives become
controlled lives (Galatians 5:24) when we include God. Our tension at being in overcrowded places and
highways will dissipate the closer we become to God (James 4:7-8). Our social isolation will end as we become
fully functioning members of the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Let us
stop allowing our tongue to run and ruin our lives. Instead allow God to become
the rudder that guides us into pathways of peace, gentleness, and kindness. As
the apostle Paul says, “Let your speech
always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to
answer each one (Colossians 4:6).”

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman; Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Kinsey W; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Todd
Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who
has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana
Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Nannie R.; and Shonda
Hutson.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints
the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email
to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2002

The Burning Bush Devotional

03 August 2021

Crude and Rude

Indeed,
we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole
body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce
winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even
so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a
forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.
The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets
on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. - James 3:3-6.

Out of
the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought
not to be so. - James 3:10.

A
survey conducted by Public Agenda found that 79% believe that the lack of
respect and courtesy in the United States is a serious problem and most
believed it was becoming worse. Surprisingly many people admitted during the
survey that they were rude themselves and more than a third admitted to using
foul language in public. Those surveyed blamed their rudeness on a variety of
things from overcrowding in public places to busy lives. Some researchers such
as Harvard University professor Robert D. Putnam say that rudeness is a result
of increasing social isolation in our society.

Being a
pastor, I live in a somewhat sheltered environment rarely hearing a rude or
unkind word because people are careful what they say when they are around me. I
have heard the argument from some people that they cannot control their speech,
but this is not true. We can control what we say if we have a desire to do so.
No, it will not be without effort, but we can do it just as people usually
control what they say when they are at church or visiting with their pastor.

While I
was a parole officer a young man was brought into the city jail on several
offenses. At first, I didn’t know who it was uttering the foulest most
offensive language I had ever heard. When I asked the jailer, I found out it
was a son of a couple that went to our church, and I knew the young man. When I
walked up to the cell and said “hello” the tirade instantly ended, and he said “Mr. Wrather.” He
began speaking in a completely different way including phrases such as “yes, sir,” and “no, sir.” Since
that time, he has gone from bad to worse and has been in prison for several
years. I still have hope; however, that this young man will turn to God.

God is
still the answer to our speech problem even today. Our busy lives become
controlled lives (Galatians 5:24) when we include God. Our tension at being in overcrowded places and
highways will dissipate the closer we become to God (James 4:7-8). Our social isolation will end as we become
fully functioning members of the body of Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Let us
stop allowing our tongue to run and ruin our lives. Instead allow God to become
the rudder that guides us into pathways of peace, gentleness, and kindness. As
the apostle Paul says, “Let your speech
always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to
answer each one (Colossians 4:6).”

Copyright © 1998 - 2021. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998, the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of
those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent
to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush website:

http://www.theburningbush.net

The Burning Bush websites are
celebrating 23 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the
Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to subscribers
across the world. At one time there were 18,000 subscribers in more than 70
countries to the devotional but that has now shrunk to around 9,000.

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right-hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at
the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page.
Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please pray for God to touch and
bring about His will in these lives: Caleb Freeman; Pat S.; Buck & Barbara
Wright; GWEN PRUET; James Perkins and his wife; Vonnie; Evi Porter; Kinsey W; Addison;
JoJo, Bailey and Nicky; Ralph and De Chapman; Hilary; Cody Stahlman; Patsy M.; Todd
Higgins; Brandy and Jadyn’s Dad; John W.; Patricia Rohman and Lisa Butler who
has had a stroke; Scott J.; Karla W.; Clayton T. and Sarah; Clark S.; Lana
Bass; Matthew Collins; Marjean C.; Bradley E.; Fern McVey; Nannie R.; and Shonda
Hutson.

Please pray for the coronavirus
COVID19 pandemic to come to an end. Pray for treatments and a cure for the
virus to be rapidly found and deployed. Pray for all those afflicted to be
healed and for our leaders to have supernatural wisdom and ability to lead us
through this pandemic.

Please pray for an end to the
rioting, looting, wanton destruction, and the racial hatred in the USA and that
it will be replaced with peace and love. May God help the USA! Many prayer
needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You
can also post your prayer requests there (Of
course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. 03.18.18 I accepted the call to be the pastor of Fairview
Baptist Church in Elk City, Oklahoma. Please pray for me and for this church.).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com

If you enjoy the devotional please
recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints
the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email
to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the
confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org