How many times do we make statements that are profound or in-depth and we don't know what we are saying? Many times in church we'll sing one of the hymns in the song book entitled, "Oh How I love Jesus". Do we really? Do we know what we're saying when we declare that we really love Jesus? Does that mean we love Him more than anything else in this world? Does that mean we love him more than our spouse, children, mother and father, and possessions? That's a powerful statement. Another song I've heard people sing in church is "Whatever it Takes (For my will to break)". Do they understand the impact of that song? Does that mean they're willing for a catastrophe to occur in their life for their will to break? Does that mean they're willing for God to do whatever it takes in their life to draw themselves closer to God, regardless of the costs? It's very easy to make profound statements without contemplating the meaning behind them and the costs associated with those statements. Many people fail to recognize the full meaning behind what they're saying.
We live in a society today that doesn't pay attention to the words they use and how they use them in the English language. I've made statements a number of times in my life and never comprehended what I was actually saying when I made those statements. I've had to learn over the years we have to say what we mean and mean what we say. In order to say what we mean or mean what we say we must first understand what's the meaning behind statements or phrases we use. This past Sunday during the Sunday school hour, I heard a reference being made to one of the young preachers in our church who said that he wanted to involve himself in the ministry of God more than anything else in this world. The Preacher asked a few rhetorical questions and asked is serving God more important than purchasing a smart phone whose pay plan you can't afford, for example? How many times have people made the statement that they desire to do this or involve themselves with "fill in the blank" more than anything else in this world? When you say you desire to involve yourself with this or you desire to have something in your life more than anything else in this world you're in essence saying you want this particular desire fulfilled in your life at the exclusion of anything else. For example if you're a Christian who's faithful to the things of God and you say you desire to serve the Lord more than anything else in this world, you are in essence saying you're willing to sacrifice anything this world has to offer in order to serve the Lord. It's easy to say we desire to serve the Lord more than anything else in this world, but are we willing to deprive ourselves of the pleasures of this life in order to achieve that goal? Are we willing to work a job that doesn't offer a good a salary so we can spend more time serving the Lord in various church functions? Are we willing to deprive ourselves of a meal a day, for example? Are we willing to forego purchasing the newest i-pad Apple Computer has to offer? When we say we desire to achieve a certain goal more than anything else in this world, we're saying we're willing to forsake other activities so we can focus on accomplishing the goal that means more to us than anything else in this world. There's a sacrifice involved. That's something you don't find too many people willing to do today. I'll use a personal example myself. I like to write and I enjoy writing posts on this blog. However, I would be fooling myself if I said I want to use my writing talent more than anything else in this world. The truth of the matter is I haven't gotten to the point that I'm willing to deprive myself of other things so I can focus more on my writing ability. I usually write at my own convenience. I don't inconvenience myself in other areas so I can devote my time to writing. Many times when we say we desire to accomplish something or participate in a particular event, we are saying we desire to do so as long as we're not inconvenienced. There aren't too many people today willing to pay the price, discipline themselves, dedicate themselves, and deprive themselves of certain pleasures to accomplish a certain goal.
I'll mention another phrase that I've heard used before. I've heard the phrase "I would give anything if I could "fill in the blank". One time one of the young preachers in the church was mentioning about a man that went to a concert and the pianist that played the piano there played it skillfully and eloquently. He was very talented with the piano. After the concert was over the man from the audience walked over to the pianist and told him that he would give anything to play the piano like he "the pianist" could. The pianist told him that wasn't the case because while that man was having fun, he "the pianist" spent hour upon hour practicing the piano. In other words if that man had a very strong desire to play the piano eloquently, he would have paid the price and devoted hour upon hour to practicing the piano and developing his musical ability. Why do many people start playing a musical instrument then they eventually stop playing it after a few practice sessions? Because playing an instrument requires repetition and repetition is grueling and demanding. Most people who attempt to learn how to play a musical instrument have no desire to invest copious amounts of time in repetition so they can play that instrument skillfully. Most people desire the end result of being able to play an instrument skillfully but they aren't interested in devoting the hours and practice sessions necessary to practice. Practice isn't easy. It's labourous. It's weary to the flesh. That's why many people (including young people) don't stick with learning a musical instrument. They don't desire all the labor that's involved in perfecting their skills. Most people, if they could, would rewrite the laws of repetition where they wouldn't have to participate in many practice sessions before they can successfully play an instrument. There are some people that would like the ability to play the piano skillfully. However, they have no interest in disciplining themselves to practice on a faithful basis. They want to play the piano skillfully with only a handful of practice sessions. It doesn't work that way. If you're going to be successful in mastering an instrument, you must discipline and dedicate yourself in playing that instrument. Otherwise, you'll stop playing after a few practice sessions. There aren't that many people willing to pay the price and deprive themselves of other pleasures to achieve a certain goal. Most people that I'm aware of who play an instrument spent hour upon hour in practice to be successful in playing that respective instrument. That's how it works. You're not going to escape the laws of repetition. You've heard the old adage, "Practice makes perfect."
Words have meaning to them. Sentences and phrases possess meaning. Some more than others. It's important when we make a statement, we contemplate the meaning behind that statement before we utter that statement. We need to understand there are consequences in certain things we say. I can recall many times over the years I've made statements that I didn' know what I was speaking of. Words have meaning. When we say we have a strong desire to accomplish a goal or fulfill something in our lives, we need to understand that we're saying we're willing to sacrifice to see that goal achieved in our lives. When we make the statement we desire something more than anything else in this world, we're in essence saying we're willing to exclude all other things in our lives in order to see a certain desire fulfilled in our lives. We're willing to sacrifice in order to achieve something that's dear to our heart. Words are important. That's why it's important to have a proper mastery of the English language. We need to comprehend what we're saying when we make profound or loaded statements. The Bible says we'll give an account for every idle word we speak. God desires that we think before we speak. That's why he gives us two ears and one mouth. We're to listen and think twice as much as we are to speak. We need to premeditate on what we're going to say before we say it.
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