“Careless Messages”
Two men in North Shoreham, Rhode Island wanted to celebrate the marriage of their friend in June of 2020. Their method of sending congratulations was to borrow a flare gun and some flares. From a boat out in the bay they fired three flares within sight of the wedding reception, and then posted their greetings on social media.
Residents in the area, however, saw a different message – sailors in distress who were in need of rescue (the usual reason for firing flares over the water). The Coast Guard was alerted, and crews were sent out to rescue the men who needed no assistance. When the truth was learned, a bill for more than $100,000 was submitted to the friends. A settlement was recently reached in which each of the men agreed to pay $5,000, still a hefty sum for men in their early 30s.
Aesop told a fable long ago about a young boy in charge of a flock of sheep. He grew bored with his task and decided to cry “Wolf! Wolf!” just to see the reaction of the townspeople. He did this two or three times, laughing at them each time they fell for his joke. When a wolf really did appear later, no one came when he cried “Wolf! Wolf!” The loss of sheep was his fine for careless communication.
Jesus instructed us on this matter of using words carelessly: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). The English Standard Version translates that as “every careless word they speak”. We understand what the Lord meant; often we say whatever comes to our minds without regard to consequences.
Earlier Jesus spoke about the dangers of harboring hatred in one’s heart: “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22).
“Raca” is an Aramaic word that means “empty-headed” or “worthless”. “Fool” is a word that needs no definition for most of us. In both cases anger is the heart of the problem. In the heat of the emotion words are spoken that are intended to inflict pain. Later we may say, “I didn’t really mean it,” but the words were spoken nonetheless. A gun that is fired unintentionally can still injure or kill.
Taking Kamagra? – Know what to expect sildenafil without prescription from ED Treating Vacuum Devices? A prescription is generally not required to purchase these devices. It viagra pill for woman offers best treatment for urinary tract disorders. You should be able to drive yourself to downtownsault.org pharmacy cialis and from your cardiac stress test. Keep in mind those PDE5 inhibitors like on line levitra, levitra (and the hundreds of generic versions of the same thing that exist) do not offer the ability to increase your facts again you don’t need to be afraid of by almost all of adult men. Proverbs 11:13 gives another example of careless words: “A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.” Some people thrive on gossip and cannot seem to keep “news” (whether true or not) to themselves. The Wise Man urges us to keep our mouths shut with such news.
The fellows in Rhode Island never meant to call out the Coast Guard. Neither do we intend to cause lasting harm on others with our words. But hear Jesus’s admonition again: “… for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). James knew what he was talking about when he said, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).
We each will answer for the words we speak. May we aim to speak only words that will “impart grace to the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment
Copyright, 2021, Timothy D. Hall
