Matthew 26:73-74 And a
little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are
one of them, for your speech betrays you.”
74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying,
“I do not know the Man!”
In the Gospel of Matthew, we find the
account of Peter’s denial of Christ. Just
a few hours earlier, he had bravely stated to Jesus, “Even if I have to die
with You, I will not deny You!”
After, a long, harrowing day, the brave statements had diminished, Peter
had fallen asleep during prayer with the Master, one of his inner-circle had
betrayed Jesus, all the disciples had fled, and yet, somehow, Peter had made
his way back as far as the outer courtyard.
As he sat, warming his hands by the fire, the accusations began; “You
were with Jesus of Galilee, This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth,”
which of course, Peter denied. Then came
the final indictment, one which Peter would have a hard time countering, “Surely
you also are one of them, for YOUR SPEECH betrays you.” What would Peter do; what closing argument
could shut the mouth of the Accusers? To
remove all doubt, Peter began to curse and swear. His speech no longer betrayed his connection
to Jesus.
What does your speech say about you? Is it kind?
Encouraging? Loving? Does it identify
you as a Citizen of Heaven or betray the true intent of your heart? Matthew and Luke, both remind us that “Out
of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Don’t forget SPEECH covers all the
avenues of communication you may travel.
In today’s world,
social media has become the GREAT
BETRAYER!!! It is as if we feel an anonymity
to state anything that pops in our head, post suggestive pictures or opine in
any way we choose because no one can see us.
Just because, you are not looking into someone’s eyes as you post
updates and comments does not lessen the impact. Colossians 4:6 says “Let your speech
always be with grace, seasoned
with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Take an extra minute or two
before you hit the “POST” or “SEND” button. Ask yourself, does my update fit the criteria
set forth in Colossians? Do my pictures
create smiles and portray God’s love or do they put ungodly thoughts in someone’s
mind? If I have a differing opinion do I
state it with kindness or do I feel a need to insult the person with whom I
disagree? Does my speech point the way
to Jesus Christ or does my speech betray me and portray the “real me”?
Psalms 19:14 “Let the words
of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.”