Ep 75: Wasted Time and Harsh Words

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Well, good morning, I'm Daniel
Dowell and this is for your

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Sunday morning drive.
The short podcast with the goal

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of providing some motivation,
Dr. and encouragement on your

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way to worship and helping you
recenter your mind on those

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spiritual things on a hectic
Sunday morning.

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We are brought to you in
partnership with the Ministry

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League network of podcasts.
Ministry League offers some

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great shows and excellent
resources completely free of

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available through

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download their app.

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Today's episode is inspired by
the words of a church sign that

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I found pretty interesting.
I thought it might provide a fun

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way for you to interact with a
show.

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If you happen to see a church
sign with an interesting

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message, send it my way either
through our social media or

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through our website for your
Sunday morning dr.com.

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I'll make sure to throw a link
in the show notes today.

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Well, let's go ahead and get the
show on the road.

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This is episode 75.
Wasted time and harsh words.

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Let's go to church.
Years ago, I saw a church sign

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that had the following message.
Wasted time and harsh words

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cannot be recalled.
I was reflecting on those words

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over the last few weeks with all
the darkness that's going on in

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the world.
And I fear that it's true.

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And I also fear, my friends,
that many of us have let some of

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those harsh words out into the
world without thinking of their

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consequences.
Because you can't take it back.

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But oh, that we could.
I'm sure we all have words that

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we wish we could take back.
The words that may be escaped

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from our mouth in the heat of
the moment that we just wish

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we'd kept locked down until our
minds could reign our mouths

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back into submission.
James chapter 3 verses 8 through

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10 says.
But no man can tame the tongue.

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It is an unruly evil full of
deadly poison.

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For with it we bless our God and
Father, and with it we curse men

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who have been made in the
similitude of God.

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Out of the same mouth proceed
blessings and cursing.

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My brethren, these things ought
not to be so.

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Yes, it's hard to tame our
tongues, but regardless,

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Scripture is clear that we
should.

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Sometimes, though, at least in
my experience, the truth, I

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think, is that we don't really
want to.

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Because aren't there times when
it is almost cathartic to let

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those harsh words fly?
When we don't really care about

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the consequences?
When we believe them to be

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focused at an enemy, which
should also be a problem, by the

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way, when we feel justified.
Unfortunately, I've seen that

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happen more times than I can
count in the last few weeks.

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People on both sides of tragedy
using harsh words and quite

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frankly, rejoicing because of
the downfall of supposed

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enemies.
You know, it reminds me of the

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words of Michael Whitworth in
his book Esau's Doom.

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In that book he quotes John
Piper when he says nations,

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adults and little children have
this in common.

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Apart from the grace of God, we
all tend to derive pleasure from

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another person S failure.
It soothes our inadequacies and

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magnifies our successes.
He then goes on to say the

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following Godly Christ honoring
joy cannot spring from

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delighting in someone else S
personal suffering.

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You see, there's the key because
godly joy cannot come from the

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suffering that others face.
But it seems that our harsh

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words would tend to betray that
sometimes.

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Many times, if we're honest, we
rejoice when we see others

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receive what we, not God,
determine is just when those

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that we for right or wrong,
perceive to be our enemies

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suffer.
Do we rejoice in their loss of

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life?
In their loss of employment,

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their livelihood, how they take
care of their family, in their

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humiliation?
Proverbs chapter 2417 and 18

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says do not rejoice when your
enemy falls and do not let your

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heart be glad when he stumbles,
lest the Lord see it and it

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displeases him and he turn away
his wrath from them.

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Let's ask ourselves this
morning, is God pleased with

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that reaction?
And then there's the aspect of

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wasted time and harsh words
that's directed against those

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that we love that leave those
wounds, intended or not, but

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wounds nonetheless in the hearts
of our brethren, our friends,

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our parents, our spouses, yes,
maybe even our children, You

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know what I mean.
The words that we wish we could

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have stopped, the words that
even once forgiven are never

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really forgotten.
The words that even when the

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wound that they caused has been
repaired, the shrapnel that's

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left behind in the heart hurts
and aches.

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Proverbs chapter 12, verse 18
says there is one who speaks

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rashly, like the thrusts of a
sword, but the tongue of the

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wise brings healing.
The question we have to ask

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ourselves is, do our words cause
pain or do they heal?

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And it's important, friends,
because only you can control

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your tongue, your temper, and
your time.

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How are we going to make use of?
Because we can either use them

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to God's glory, or they can be
used to our own shame.

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Our words can be used to show
others the love of Jesus.

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Or like that church sign said,
we can waste time trying to

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recall words that can't be
unspoken.

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And in those cases, let me
encourage you to seek the best,

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the most godly outcome.
A humble heart, a sincere

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apology and extended
forgiveness.

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Well, those are my thoughts for
your Sunday morning drive.

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Now it's time to hear yours.
Our discussion questions for

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this week are what are some
examples in your life of the

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toll of wasted time and harsh
words?

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Are there any wounds that are
harsh words have caused that we

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need to try and remedy?
And what can you do this week to

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let your tongue glorify God
rather than cause division?