April 22I say unto you, That every idle [unprofitable or pernicious] word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment — Matt. 12:36.
If, in the daily scrutiny of our ways, which is the duty of every Christian, we discover that in any particular our words have been dishonoring to the Lord, we should remember that in the name of our Advocate we may approach the Lord in prayer, explain to our Heavenly Father our realization of the error, our deep regret at our failure to honor His name and His cause by a holy walk and conversation, and humbly request that the sin be not laid to our charge, but that it may be blotted out through His gracious provision for our cleansing through Christ, humbly claiming that in His precious blood is all our hope and trust. Thus we should render up our account for every idle word; and by our words of repentance, supplemented by the merit of Christ applied by faith, shall we be acquitted—Z '96, 32 (R 1937). The words that are uttered are but expressions of one's sentiments, and therefore go to make up one's character. Idle words are useless and pernicious thoughts expressed, and inevitably undermine character. When one comes on trial for life, this undermining of character will have to be accounted for and righted. It behooves each one therefore to pray: "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth, keep the door of my lips"—P '20, 71. Parallel passages: Psa. 26:1-4; 50:3-6; 139:23, 24; Jer. 11:20; 20:12; 2 Thes. 1:4, 5; Matt. 25:14-30; 1 Cor. 11:31; Ezek. 18:20-28; Matt. 11:22; 12:37-42; 25:31-46; John 5:22-30; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:5-16; 1 Pet. 4:5, 7. Hymns: 63, 67, 230, 333, 24, 73, 171. Poems of Dawn, 143: In the Presence of the King. Tower Reading: Z '14, 245 (R 5517). Questions: What have been this week's experiences respecting this text? What lessons did I learn from them? |
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IN THE PRESENCE OF THE KING
IF we could always feel each little thing
We do, each hour we spend
Within the presence of the King,
What dignity—'twould lend!
If we could realize our every thought
Is known to Him, our King,
With how great carefulness would it be fraught,
And what a blessing bring!
If, when some sharp word leaves a cruel sting,
Our faith could know and feel
'Twas heard within the presence of the King,
How soon the wound would heal!
Oh, when the song of life seems hard to sing,
And darker grows the way,—
Draw nearer to the presence of the King,
And night shall turn to day!
IF we could always feel each little thing
We do, each hour we spend
Within the presence of the King,
What dignity—'twould lend!
If we could realize our every thought
Is known to Him, our King,
With how great carefulness would it be fraught,
And what a blessing bring!
If, when some sharp word leaves a cruel sting,
Our faith could know and feel
'Twas heard within the presence of the King,
How soon the wound would heal!
Oh, when the song of life seems hard to sing,
And darker grows the way,—
Draw nearer to the presence of the King,
And night shall turn to day!
