Monday, June 15, 2009

Today's Scripture: Mark 11

This is such a great chapter. The part that jumped out at me this week was the story of the withered fig tree. I had heard this story before, but I must admit that I had forgotten the purpose behind it.

I find it funny that Peter was surprised that the tree was withered when they pass back by. It is almost as if he thought Jesus was joking when He said to the tree "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." It was either that or Peter didn't believe in the power of Jesus' words. I don't think it was the latter since Peter had already witnessed Jesus do unbelievable things with just His words. It must have been that Peter thought that Jesus was speaking out of compulsion and He really didn't want the tree to wither and die, but that it was just something He said.

This exchange between Peter and Jesus helped me see two things a little more clearly. The first Jesus made very clear in the passage: believe completely in what you pray and ask for from God. This is the basis of faith and is crucial to our dependence on Him. The second thing I saw was a little more subtle. I think Jesus was also drawing Peter's attention to the fact that we must be careful of the negative words that we speak. This is not to say that if we pray bad things for people that God will grant our prayers. Instead I think Jesus is pointing out the true power of words that are said with a passionate intent.

I am reminded of Brett's sermon yesterday and the fact that none of us have the right to throw the first stone. However, how many times do we speak with a passionate intent against someone?
Yes you may not agree with them...
Yes they may be completely wrong...
Yes they are probably selfish...
No it is not OK to rant about them behind their back...
No it is not OK to tell everyone else your problem with them...
No it is not OK for you to pretend that they don't exist...

We must guard our tongue when speaking about and with other people. I am as guilty as anyone else. My frustrations get the better of me all the time, but this passage makes it clear that our words are powerful. They can do great things if they come from a God-centered life, but they can also do great damage if we are not careful to choose them wisely. I'm not sure if I have heard this somewhere or God just gave it to me, but this phrase summed up this passage for me.

Believe in what you pray and be careful what you say.