Luke 17:1-4
Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."
Today at First we had Rev. Dr. Henry Wildeboer as a visiting preacher. This guy very much impressed me with his passion and fire, but he also gave a great sermon. It was on forgiveness and its role in everyday life. He also spoke about the sin that leads to the need for forgiving. He highlighted the text in Luke 17 about causing others to sin.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about/been convicted about my language/things that come out of my mouth. I had always considered this to be a personal sin: one that I have struggled with for a very long time. For me it is tied up in issues of purity and pride. I thought these were things that I would continue to work on and with the help of God bring under control. I hadn't really ever thought about the effects my choices were having on those around me.
I didn't think beyond myself and therefore didn't think that my sexually inappropriate language could be causing others to sin. I didn't think that my colourful exclamations could be tainting people I care about. I am glad to have this plank removed from my eye, but plank removal leaves quite the ouchie and will take time to heal and move on.
I would like to say I am sorry for damaging people I love and I would encourage you as my brothers and sisters in Christ to rebuke me in my sins of language and encourage me to do better.
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