Dr. Lawrence Butler, The Bridge Church, Pembroke

One of our biggest challenges is controlling our tongues. I recently heard a pastor tell us he was scolding his children and someone recorded him as he was doing so.

He informed us that when the recording was played back to him, he simply could not image speaking to his children in such a manner. Immediately he apologized to his family, asked forgiveness from them and the Lord, and determined to be a better father and husband. I suspect that many of us have erred in the same way but just don’t realize it. “Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:10). We are counselled by the Bible to be godly examples. Listen to Paul exhorting Timothy concerning his lifestyle, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (I Tim. 4:12).

God despises hypocrisy! Let us look in the Book of Ezekiel to discover the Lord’s reaction to this awful sin. Chapter 8:5 reveals an “image of jealousy” at the entrance to the temple.

The Lord then directs Ezekiel to dig a hole in the wall near the door of the court, only to find inside 70 elders of Israel offering incense to numerous idols. The next stop was near the “door of the gate of the Lord’s house” in verse 14 of the same chapter.

There were women weeping before an idol called Tammuz. This illustrates the deep infiltration of idolatry into Israel’s worship and their acceptance of pagan practices.

Ezekiel was then escorted to the inner court of the Lord’s house. We find there about 25 men with their backs toward the temple while worshipping the sun. What does the Lord do about this hypocrisy? Ezekiel reveals in chapter 10 the glory of the Lord left the temple.

Most of us are not involved in such blatant sin, but are we hypocritical in our daily lives?

Does our speech betray that we are not the servants of God as we present ourselves? Do we send forth “blessing and cursing” from our mouths? May this be our heartfelt prayer.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalms 19:14).