WHOEVER WOULD LOVE LIFE AND SEE GOOD DAYS
When
we look at how we live in today’s world, we realize how little some people
really enjoy or love life that God has graciously imparted to them. Many struggle through everyday living, without
knowing that there are Biblical principles which instruct us to lead the kind of life that would give us joy and
good days, if we apply them in day to day living. God’s Word is the only perfect guide to godly living. It is
practical, and one fascinating passage in the Book of St. Peter, gives us this
awesome message:
1 Peter 3:10 For
"He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil, and his lips from speaking guile.
Another
rendition:
1 Peter 3:10-12
For he that will love
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips
that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace,
and ensue it ! For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears
are open unto their prayers:............
From
this short passage we are given the following practical points of application:
To love life and have good
days we are taught to refrain:
a. our tongue from
evil
b. our lips from
speaking guile
The
meaning of the word “Guile” is treachery or deceit. Keeping one’s tongue from
evil refers to evil speaking, speaking ill of others as to injure or harm them.
St. Peter teaches us that we should be
very careful with the words we speak that our spoken words are not full of deceit
or treachery. We should further control our tongue from speaking evil.
It
has been observed that people who are
naturally inclined to verbal abuse, bad language evil speaking, insults, ridicule and cursing are themselves full of hate. They are offensive
and are angry at life. They are bitter, arrogant proud and terribly uncouth. They even hate their lives, are discontented, that they want to
make everyone as miserable as themselves.
There
is a wonderful promise here given to God’s people, who heed this instruction.
If we want to love living the life God has given to us, and see good and better
days then we need to restrain our tongues from evil speaking and deceitful
speech.
We
want to see good days, we love life, don’t we?
Jesus said in John
6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The
words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Proverbs 18:21 Death
and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its
fruit.
There
are some people who treat the book of Proverbs in the bible as simply a
collection of wise sayings similar to the sayings of philosophers and learned men
of great intellect. As a Christian I
believe that the wisdom in the Book of Proverbs is no ordinary saying which one
may only take under advisement. These
are divinely inspired words. There is death and life in our words as the
Scripture declares. There should be no doubt about it.
St.
Peter said that in order to see good days we have to keep our tongue under
control and not speak deceit. The promise is for those who are controlled by
the Holy Spirit, that their lives bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control and from their speech we find
no deceit or evil speaking.
In
times of weakness, when the troubles of life come to visit us we may murmur,
whine and complain, even utter contempt against anyone, anything, or worst
blame all except one’s self.
One
common theme we learn from the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ is His parable
of sowing and reaping. He gives us a picture of seeds being sown. The seed is
God’s word. In similar manner if we are to think and consider the words we
speak as seeds which we plant or sow, the lesson is easy enough to grasp that what we sow, we reap. Sowing seeds of evil and deceit would not produce in us a good
and life giving harvest. There is
nothing good from evil speaking. There is great wisdom in the common saying: If we have nothing good or better to say about
someone or anything, then better to be quiet.
Galatians 6:7 Do not
be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
God’s
word is a sure reminder, that if we are to enjoy the gift of life and live out
to see good and better days, we should be very careful with the utterances
which proceed from our mouth. What we say in one way or another affects us. And
I would like to believe that it is not
only in what we say with our mouth but in what we communicate through other forms.
St.
Peter goes farther by reminding the Christians that we should not be careless
in giving our word. We have to honor and commit to the things that we say. This
is another side to what the Apostle is saying about refraining from speaking
guile. There is deceitfulness when we give our word and willfully not follow
it. The effect could be grievous in all types of relationship or situations. Translated in matters of faith, one’s
profession of faith is tested by one’s act of faithfulness.
Deuteronomy 30:19
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that
both you and your
descendants may live;
This
awesome declaration ties up with the Apostle Peter’s instruction. God the
Almighty has set before His people life and death, blessing and cursing. We are
given the choice: to choose words of blessing which leads to life, or to choose
cursing, which leads to death. Choose therefore life.
