Thirst sent me to the fridge to grab a carbonated beverage as we headed out for the evening church service. That carbonation quenched the parched feeling in my mouth and was refreshing me until…the car lurched forward like a frog jumping at a fly. The liquid that was just trickling into my mouth also lurched – right into the back of my throat, causing me to swallow it in such a way that coughing and sputtering followed for hours afterwards! It just didn’t go down the right way and made me choke!
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Later in the evening something else made me choke! I was looking at some posts on Instagram. Someone I follow said they got so inspired when they read this post by Joel Osteen:
I’m sorry, but I wrote that quote with the crossed out application, because I wouldn’t want anyone to think that I’m endorsing what he said!!!!!!!!!!!!! How sweet all that sounds. How “syrupy.” Our flesh loves that kind of talk, but hold on a minute! If you could read that and swallow those words without “choking,” can I sweetly say, you need to check that against the Scriptures! Where do you read in the Bible that you should celebrate yourself? Where are we commanded to give ourselves a compliment? Or where are we told to keep ourselves encouraged (other than encouraging ourselves in the Lord)? Let’s help this go down much easier by weighing this against the Word of God. It says:
- Philippians 2:3b In lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
- Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
- Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
- Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. Proverbs 27:2
- I Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
RefreshHer 