Words Fitly Spoken

   What are the true results of a life lived in the right way? Do they end up being washed away like the house built on the sand that was spoken about by Jesus in the reading for today? Words that are spoken by God to a person condemned by the way they had lived. Words recorded in Matthew 7, as translated in The Message:

    ^21-23"Knowing the correct password—saying 'Master, Master,' for instance— isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here.'

   Oh, those would be terrible words to hear. How tragic to have lived a life and spoken words, however true, for the wrong purpose.

   As I look at this today, my mind turns back to a tombstone that we saw, I believe on Barbados, a few years back. Words of honor and not dishonor. It looked like this:

In case it is hard to read, it says, "The last privilege vouchsafed for her on earth was that of teaching her husband and children how a Christian ought to die".

Words of honor and not dishonor.

As Solomon records in Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
In settings of silver.