Reflections On The Gospel Of John Sample

BETRAYED BY MY SPEECH When I was stationed on a small island in the central Arabian Gulf in the Middle East I once heard the Crown Prince, who was a member of the royal family and the Minister of Defense (equivalent to the Secretary of Defense in the United States) for the country, give a speech. I was amazed to hear a person born and raised in the Middle East and of Arab decent speak as if he were originally from the United States of America. The Crown Prince spoke with the eloquence of a Harvard scholar and was very articulate; and if one were to turn their back to him as he spoke, one would assume the prince was an intellectual or scholar of western decent, or to put is another way “his speech betrayed him.” As believers in the body of Christ, our lifestyle, character, and our speech should set us apart as citizens of the Kingdom of God; however, many times our speech may suggest otherwise. And just like the Crown Prince, our speech could paint the wrong picture of who we actually are. As citizens of God’s Kingdom we are to not become so influenced by the world's system that there is no clear distinction between a life lived for the world or a life lived in Christ. Though we live in the world, we are not to be of the world or do the same things that are done in this system. “Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him” (ROM.12.2, Contemporary English Version). This is important because if we are not careful, we can allow the influences of society affect how we live and what comes out of our mouths. And when we consistently connect ourselves to the wrong people and things, we will find ourselves subjected to the “Garbage in, Garbage out” syndrome. As ambassadors of God’s Kingdom and citizens of Heaven, we must stop attempting to just fit in and simply becoming members of the “In-crowd,” but instead letting our true character and citizenship be made clearly evident and known. Have you been betrayed by your speech?