Lent

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

This particular verse from the Psalms is often quoted by pastors before beginning their sermon. As a pastor, I used it often, because it was my prayer that what I was saying that day was acceptable to God, for then it would be good news to those gathered to hear it.

Since retirement I have thought about this passage and realized that I should still be praying this verse many times a day. When I am visiting with family and friends, do I pause to ask if my words are acceptable to God? When I am using email or on social media do I pause and ask if my words are acceptable to God?

James 3:5 says "The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.” It is a reminder that our words can get us into trouble and are not always acceptable to God or to others.

I think of the times I had to mend fences with family and friends because of hastily spoken words. How much better it would have been to pause and pray and reflect on the acceptability of these words, If I had done so, many a word would not have been uttered and many a hurt feeling would have been avoided.

During Lent, we are challenged to practice spiritual disciplines to get our hearts and our lives ready to receive the good news of Easter. For me, I am going to pause often and pray this verse.

Let us pray

Loving God, as we journey through Lent, cleanse our thoughts and our words. May we, in all we say, speak only words that are acceptable to you, knowing then that they will also be a blessing to others. AMEN

Today’s devotional was written by Bill Green, and read by John Cherry.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.