Re: Speaking of the world today, what is your take on swearing?

One thing I was thinking more on was what caused me to cuss. I had already mentioned anger and frustration which seems to be the main thing. Thinking about it more though I came up with, sudden and unexpected pain, sudden unexpected fright, and even fright in general. Then in thinking back on the "anger and frustration" one, I had to include feeling hurt because often under the anger is hurt feelings. Finally the last one kind of shocked me although in my past it probably would have been the very first thing I would have mentioned, and that's "habit". The reason it shocked me was because I thought I'd ended that decades ago, even before I was saved. But the Lord pointed out to me, while it was happening, who it was that I was hearing it from constantly this past year which is part of why I've picked it up again. I was really surprised because as you all know I try very hard to be aware of my thoughts and to stay in control of them. Finally the last one I thought of was "for shock effect".

That too has taught me a lesson though. The lesson is that we can't let our guard down even when we think we've got something licked. Hopefully I won't make that mistake again!

Actually come to think of it, it showed me two lessons because it also showed me just how desensitized the world has gotten us toward this. We're so used to hearing it and reading it on everything from signs to t-shirts and of course in books and hearing it from everyone around us as well as on TV and in movies and even video games that it just goes from one ear right through the other and never stops to register. That's why God tells us to guard our hearts and minds:

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

The word translated "heart" in this verse could probably be better translated, "heart and mind" because it encompasses both since it means more then just mental and emotional capacity but also your values etc. And notice how the Lord says we're to do this "above all else"? That's just how important this is!

Now the reason I wanted to know what usually precipitated cussing for me was so I could be even more on guard against it when I was experiencing those things. So I'm going to list them here again so they're easy to see. Plus that way I can later use them to look up more about them just as I already did for "anger".

• anger
• frustration
• sudden and unexpected pain,
• sudden unexpected fright,
• fright in general
• hurt-hurt feelings
• habit
• for shock effect

If anyone can think of anything else that causes it, please let me know ok?

Finally, after showing me the verse that tells us what NOT to do yesterday, (I'm going to post these in context so we can think about the context and look at it further next time)

Ephesians 5:1-7 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

the Lord led me to one that shows us what we are to do:

Colossians 4:5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

This also reminded me of a verse that jumped out at me the other day too, which reminds us again of how important it is to be in control of our thoughts and words:

2 Peter 3:1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.

Ok, that's all I can remember for now. I'll be gone tomorrow so I'll have to pick this up on Sunday. Feel free to add to this yourselves though!

what is your take on swearing (bible study thread)

Re: Speaking of the world today, what is your take on swearing?

True Barbara, and all of that is covered in this verse which should have been the first one I thought of:

Ephesians 5:3-4 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

I would like to add one other thing that hit me last night when I was thinking about this. I actually thought of a whole bunch of things last night, but will write about that in a bit. But it suddenly hit me about 'calling a godly person" to find out about something. While there's nothing wrong with listening to what a godly person has to say, and we certainly should, we should never, ever, consider that their word is the final authority of whether or not something is right or wrong or is what God says about something. I certainly hope no one ever says that about the stuff I say here in the bible study forum or anywhere else for that matter. God and only God should be our final authority. When we want to know "for sure" what God thinks about something, the only place we should to go is to Him in prayer as we search His Word. When we ask others, all we're getting are other people's opinions and that includes me as well.

That's why I started this thread/bible study in the first place. First I thought it would be an interesting subject to see what others had to say. (like calling a friend to see what they think) It wasn't because I disagreed with others that I then copied the thread and turned it into a bible study, it was because even though finding out what others think is interesting and fun, it doesn't do anything toward discovering what's important and that's what God thinks about it. The only way I could determine what God thinks about this was to ask Him and do a bible study on it, so I changed this to a bible study thread and began posting the passages He gave me as I got them.

Whenever I do a bible study here I always post the scriptures and try to post them in context so that others who are reading can follow my train of thought and so they can see for themselves what the scriptures say in context. I no longer post all the scriptures I find in my bible studies (and haven't for years) because I've been told that it's just way too much info by most people. So I try to just post the most relevant ones. On average however, I generally have at the very least double the number of scriptures as the ones I've posted in any study. That's mainly because I like to be very thorough and not leave any stone unturned on whatever subject I'm studying. I guess I'm just naturally curious and have a tendency to want to know everything about everything lol The point is though, that no one should ever assume that because I've posted 8 scriptures that that is all there is about it in the bible. Trust me, there's a LOT more about any topic I've done a study on, then what I've posted. It's there for you to find if you pray and dig, looking for His treasure in His Word.

The other point I wanted to make though was that I'm no better then anyone else here. I'm just a fellow believer searching out God's Will and trusting Him to teach me and guide me in all His ways. I may know the bible a little better then some here, but then there are others that know it better then I do. And while I may know a lot in one area, someone else may know more in another area. That's how we learn and grow together. The very last thing I want to do is appear "self righteous" or "holier then thou". Even in this subject matter I've admitted that I sin in this area and it was the Lord convicting me of that sin that caused me to begin this whole thing. All I want is to learn what the Lord has to say about things so I can do my best to live the way He wants me to. So whatever it is I'm learning from the Lord about, I share with others here so that anyone else that's interested can join in too.

Anyway, I'll post more about what all I got last night a little later.

what is your take on swearing (bible study thread)

Speaking of the world today, what is your take on swearing?

This is one of the verses I have listed as "example to follow" for it's how I want the Lord to be able to view me someday (I hope)

Malachi 2:6-7 True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. “For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the Lord Almighty.

I didn't realize you had posted in this thread and was just coming here to post about something else I just read that made me think of this. I'm going to continue to post what I find for myself and any others who are convicted about it. I'm not trying to convict anyone myself, that's for the Holy Spirit to do, but since He has convicted me, I do want to continue what I've started. So please don't take offense. That's why I copied the post to the bible study forum.

I'd appreciate it if those of you who disagree would keep your posts on the other thread in end times chat though so that it doesn't disrupt the study portion here ok? As I said, I'm not trying to argue, debate or convict anyone in this thread, I'm just doing what I do with all my studies and sharing what I've learned.

OK, this is part of what I was reading:
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

The word slanderers reminded me of what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

(Raca means "you fool") This is another area that shows us that it's not just cursing people such as telling them to go to hell that is considered wrong. My commentary says this about it:

Furthermore, becoming angry and assuming a position of superiority over another by calling him a derogatory name (such as the Aram. Raca or You fool!) demonstrates sinfulness of the heart. The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures

In searching for more information in God's Word about that, I was led to this verse, and having seen it now, I'm ashamed that I didn't think of it right away:

Ephesians 5:3-4 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

The self-centered vices in conduct and speech (vv. 3-4) are the opposite of the self-sacrificing love spoken of in verses 1-2. Since these vices portray selfishness and unconcern for others, a believer should not have even a hint of these sins in his life

Improprieties in speech—obscenity (aischrotēs, “shameless talk and conduct”), foolish talk (mōrologia, lit., “stupid words”), and coarse jesting (eutrapelia, “vulgar, frivolous wit”)—are out of place for Jesus’ followers, because such vices often harm (cf. 4:29),

The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures

The apostle not only cautions against the gross acts of sin, but against what some may be apt to make light of, and think to be excusable. Neither filthiness (v. 4), by which may be understood all wanton and unseemly gestures and behaviour; nor foolish talking, obscene and lewd discourse, or, more generally, such vain discourse as betrays much folly and indiscretion, and is far from edifying the hearers; nor jesting. The Greek word eutrapelia is the same which Aristotle, in his Ethics, makes a virtue: pleasantness of conversation. And there is no doubt an innocent and inoffensive jesting, which we cannot suppose the apostle here forbids. Some understand him of such scurrilous and abusive reflections as tend to expose others and to make them appear ridiculous. This is bad enough: but the context seems to restrain it to such pleasantry of discourse as is filthy and obscene, which he may also design by that corrupt, or putrid and rotten, communication that he speaks of, ch. 4:29. Of these things he says, They are not convenient. Indeed there is more than inconvenience, even a great deal of mischief, in them. They are so far from being profitable that they pollute and poison the hearers. But the meaning is, Those things do not become Christians, and are very unsuitable to their profession and character. Christians are allowed to be cheerful and pleasant; but they must be merry and wise. The apostle adds, But rather giving of thanks: so far let the Christian’s way of mirth be from that of obscene and profane wit, that he may delight his mind, and make himself cheerful, by a grateful remembrance of God’s goodness and mercy to him, and by blessing and praising him on account of these. Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible

As I said earlier, the things that usually cause me to cuss are when I'm really angry and or frustrated. So I'm going to list some verses about that to think about and I want to think too about what else causes me to cuss....

Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Psalm 4:4 In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.

Proverbs 29:11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

Proverbs 22:24-25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.

Ephesians 4:26-27 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Proverbs 15:1-4 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

James 1:19-20 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

what is your take on swearing (bible study thread)

Re: Things we "should" be thinking about

Let's see, we could think about nature and how beautiful it is and maybe try and imagine (if we can lol) what heaven might be like--how beautiful it will be etc.

Speaking of imaginations, it seems someone brought that up in the other thread too because unfortunately our imaginations are often sinful or can be. Especially if we use them to imagine ourselves doing or succeeding in something the Lord has forbidden.

We could imagine ourselves in all kinds of normal earthly situations (kind of like a "what if" scenario, only imagine how we would handle various things if we were to do so in a Godly way. Like what if a co worker brought up the subject of sin, how would we handle it--and imagine ourselves doing it in such a way that it would make the Lord proud of us.

Thinking and imagining things isn't bad, as long as were doing it in a godly manner. If you think about it, in the parable of the prodigal son, the son imagines what he will say to his father to try and get his father to take him back. God gave us our minds and our imaginations but sin has corrupted them. We just need to be careful to use them in the manner and for the purpose God intended them to be used in.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

So using our imaginations for good, to think and work out ways in which we could speak or act in a godly way in various situations would be a good use of our imagination.

Another good use for them would be to imagine ourselves becoming very knowledgeable and wise about God's ways and sharing it with others; or perhaps seeing ourselves overcome various problems or sins in our lives and imagining how that might happen. Imagining ourselves being a godly wife or husband, child or spouse etc. would be other ways to use our imaginations for good.

We might imagine ourselves doing something we really love and enjoy and having that as our job and imagine how we would grow spiritually while doing it; or just imagine ourselves growing spiritually as we do whatever our job is now.

There are millions of things we could imagine that would be godly ways of using our imaginations.

Something Barbara said on another thread reminded me of something that's always good to think about, dwell on, imagine about and even pray about:



And that reminds me of a story about my oldest granddaughter when she was two years old. It was Thanksgiving Day and my daughter was having her first Thanksgiving Dinner at her house so it was very special. We were all sitting at the table and the food smelled wonderful. My daughter began to say the blessing over the meal and Cassandra piped up saying she wanted to say the prayer lol, so Michelle told her she could.

So Cassandra began praying:

Dear God, thank you for our house, for our kitchen and our table and our sink to wash the dishes in, thank you for our dishes and the silverware too; thank you for our couch and for my rocking chair; thank you for my toys (she then named quite a few of them!) thank you for our toilet and the bathtub and the sink and our toothbrushes; thank you for soap and toilet paper and for my mommy's hair brush; thank you for my barrettes,thank you for my hair, and thank you for water to drink and water to wash in; thank you for my daddy's coffee; thank you for my mommy, daddy, grandpa, grandma (and that list went on quite awhile too) and thank you for the vacuum and the broom and sponges to clean up messes; thank you for the TV and the stereo and for music; thank you for clean sheets and pillows and blankets to keep us warn; thank you for our car and the phone and mommy and daddy's jobs, and for our money, and the trees outside; the sun and the beach, the moon and stars at night, the sand, the grass and flowers, for our curtains, our beds, our kitty, and the kitty's food, .....

That little one continued on like this for at least a full five minutes before Michelle tried to stop her and let her know that the food was getting cold! She said she'd be done soon so Michelle let her continue. and continue she did for another full five minutes!

Finally Michelle told her she had to stop lol and she ended her prayer, "In Jesus' Name, Amen!" We all were laughing at first but I had tears in my eyes by the end of it because I had learned more that thanksgiving day from my two year old granddaughter then I ever would have suspected! That little one truly understood what being thankful was all about and understood that all those things she named really were blessings from the Lord. It made me think of these verses right away:

Psalm 8:2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

Matthew 18:2-4 He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I vowed that day to never forget the lesson she taught me. In fact this past Thanksgiving Michelle again had Thanksgiving Dinner at her house with the whole family. Cassandra was 12 then and after Michelle led us in prayer, I reminded Cassandra of her first real Thanksgiving dinner and her prayer that day. I thanked her for all she taught me and told her that I have shared the story with many people since then so really she has taught many about thankfulness and counting our blessings. I pray it's something she will never forget, and that it's something that will help many including me to remember to be thankful for everything we have, because really, we have so much!



I think I'll go count my blessings right now! Being so much older then Cassandra was, I should be able to count them for a very long time!!! (and each and every one of you are a blessing to me!)

 

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Things we "should" be thinking about

In our bible study on Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian We were looking at some verses where we are told what kinds of things we should be thinking on instead of worrying and having fearful or depressing thoughts. Barbara suggested that we should have a thread where we could list the good things we could think about to replace the sinful thoughts.

In preparing to start this thread I started reading what the commentaries said about Philippians 4:8 and was shocked to find that they say exactly what we've been talking about in our study! So to help us think up "good thoughts" I'm including these commentaries since they break it down more and that can give us more ideas. Plus they'll show you that I'm not the only one that has realized that this is God's prescription to living in peace and joy

First though, here is the main passage we're working from:

Philippians 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Here are what a few of the commentaries had to say about this:

Character and conduct begin in the mind. Our actions are affected by the things we dwell on in our thoughts. Paul cautions his readers to concentrate on things that will result in right living and in God’s peace Spirit filled life study Bible.

Finally. In conclusion.
Whatsoever. Whatsoever introduced six adjectives picturing old-fashioned Christian ideas.
True.Resting on reality and aiming at reality.
Honest. Honorable, dignified, worthy of reverence, the combination of gravity and dignity.
Just. Righteous relations between man and man, and man and God. Pure. Stainless, chaste, unsullied.
Lovely. Lovable, endearing, amiable, gracious, charming, pleasing, winsome.
Of good report. Attractive, fair speaking.
If there be any virtue. Mental, moral, and physical excellence.
If there be any praise. Anything praiseworthy, deemed worthy of praise.
Think on these things. Meditate on them with careful reflection, not casually and superficially, but constantly and logically. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Prov 23:7). Noble thinking produces noble living; high thinking produces high living; and holy thinking produces holy living. All these noble qualities were exemplified in Christ and are produced by the Holy Spirit. KJV Bible commentary.

Right Thinking (Phil. 4:8)

Peace involves the heart and the mind.“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee” (Isa. 26:3). Wrong thinking leads to wrong feeling, and before long the heart and mind are pulled apart and we are strangled by worry. We must realize that thoughts are real and powerful, even though they cannot be seen, weighed, or measured. We must bring “into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

“Sow a thought, reap an action.

Sow an action, reap a habit.

Sow a habit, reap a character.

Sow a character, reap a destiny!”

Paul spells out in detail the things we ought to think about as Christians.

Whatever is true.Dr. Walter Cavert reported a survey on worry that indicated that only 8 percent of the things people worried about were legitimate matters of concern! The other 92 percent were either imaginary, never happened, or involved matters over which the people had no control anyway. Satan is the liar (John 8:44), and he wants to corrupt our minds with his lies (2 Cor. 11:3). “Yea, hath God said?” is the way he approaches us, just as he approached Eve (Gen. 3:1ff). The Holy Spirit controls our minds through truth (John 17:17; 1 John 5:6), but the devil tries to control them through lies. Whenever we believe a lie, Satan takes over!

Whatever is honest and just. This means “worthy of respect and right.” There are many things that are not respectable, and Christians should not think about these things. This does not mean we hide our heads in the sand and avoid what is unpleasant and displeasing, but it does mean we do not focus our attention on dishonorable things and permit them to control our thoughts.

Whatever is pure, lovely, and of good report. “Pure” probably refers to moral purity, since the people then, as now, were constantly attacked by temptations to sexual impurity (Eph. 4:17–24; 5:8–12). “Lovely” means “beautiful, attractive.” “Of good report” means “worth talking about, appealing.” The believer must major on the high and noble thoughts, not the base thoughts of this corrupt world.

Whatever possesses virtue and praise. If it has virtue, it will motivate us to do better; and if it has praise, it is worth commending to others. No Christian can afford to waste “mind power” on thoughts that tear him down or that would tear others down if these thoughts were shared.

If you will compare this list to David’s description of the Word of God in Psalm 19:7–9, you will see a parallel. The Christian who fills his heart and mind with God’s Word will have a “built-in radar” for detecting wrong thoughts. “Great peace have they which love Thy Law” (Ps. 119:165). Right thinking is the result of daily meditation on the Word of God.

The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"

So, now that you have an idea of what we're talking about, what are some of the things you think we could dwell on that would meet the requirements of what Paul tells us in that passage in Philippians?

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The notion of divine control

The notion of divine control

How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? Matthew 7:11.

Jesus is laying down rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit. By the simple argument of these verses He urges us to keep our minds filled with the notion of God’s control behind everything, which means that the disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Notion your mind with the idea that God is there. If once the mind is notioned along that line, then when you are in difficulties it is as easy as breathing to remember—Why, my Father knows all about it!. It is not an effort, it comes naturally when perplexities press. Before, you used to go to this person and that, but now the notion of the Divine control is forming so powerfully in you that you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those who have His Spirit, and it works on this principle—God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry?

There are times, says Jesus, when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but trust Him. God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural Father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the notion of the mind of God behind all things strong and growing. Nothing happens in any particular unless God’s will is behind it, therefore you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but an attitude of mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it shall be given you.”

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (July 16). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.