“…[L]et everyman be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…”  (James 1)

 

IN America the Constitution gives every citizen the right to free speech. That right was first granted us by God. In the Gospels we find the politicians and religious leaders seeking to quiet Christ and in the Book of Acts we see the same ilk trying to quiet the Apostles. In Paul’s epistles we read that he is imprisoned for his faith, yet the Word of God is not bound. The Word of God cannot be bound, for when the Word and those that speak the Word are persecuted it only caused it to grow and spread. One could liken the the persecuted Word of God to the Word of God that was and still is Flesh. The power of the Word is seen when it is challenged or threatened just as the Power of God was released in the death and subsequent resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

A question that one should ask one’s self is, does free speech equal speaking freely? Of course it does, but does that then mean that one should always express every thought that crosses one’s mind or should one think that one’s expression means more than another’s expression? The answer to both questions requires only one answer…No.

While everyone has a right to express their thoughts, their ignorance, and folly not everyone should do so all the time. The Scriptures teach us that we should be slow to speak. In the Proverbs we are told that the fool speaks all his mind and even a fool will be thought wise if he keeps quiet. The Proverbs also tells us that it is a fool who answers a matter before he hears it. Therefore, when one hears another speaking all their thoughts, “I’m just say’in,” or “I’m can’t help myself, I just speak my mind,” or “I’m gonna call it like I see it,” one may be in the company of a fool.

It has been said, opinions are like noses, everyone has one. But does that imply that one should share those opinions without discretion? If you are familiar with the life of C.S. Lewis, you may remember he had a tutor named W.T. Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick lived in a place called Great Bookham. It is in this place that Lewis was tutored and became the man he was to become, save Christ’s apprehension of Lewis. On his way to Great Bookham, while watching the passing scenery as the train sped by, he thought to himself that Great Bookham would have a wilderness and heavily forested geography. When Lewis arrived at his destination we was met by Kirkpatrick. Lewis making “small talk,” stated that Bookham was less wild than he had thought it to be. “STOP,” said Kirkpatrick. The Great Knock, as Kirkpatrick was called, asked Lewis upon what basis he made his presupossition.

The point this tutor was making was the foolishness of having an uninformed opinion of anything. In our country, today,  persons are speaking and writing whatever crosses their biased minds without any foundation of fact. It seems as though if I can imagine X, X must or might possibly be true. We can recall President Trump’s first days in office as President, some hack…err, journalist wrote about Trump removing a statue or bust of Martin Luther King as soon as he entered the People’s House. This was fabricated. Someone imagined that he could do it so they said he did. This is an act of pride and bias. It is God Who can make that which wasn’t into that which is… a hack and biased “journalist” cannot. It seems that journalists and commentators are actually believing their own press and are accepting the praise of their readers and sycophants. Persons with an outlet, like politicians, commenators and journalists are shark-like. When these sharks see blood in the water, or in other words, when they determine which way the wind or the polls are going, they jump in and try to make a name for themselves at other’s expense.

Today’s atmosphere is charged with divisevness, contempt, biasness, and an abuse of free speech. Today I heard a congress woman actually say that she would, “Take [Trump] out tonight.” This fool is inciting hatred and her ilk is pressing her on…it is mob mentality. This congress woman should be taken into custody, she blatantly said she would, “Take [Trump] out tonight.” And then we have Madonna admitting to thoughts of blowing up the White House. These are foolish people, they are betraying their own foolishness, ignorance, and folly; we must not forget the celebrated persons who vowed to move to Canada if Trump won….None has done so. They are all alike, there is nothing behind their words. Obama drew his red line and then did nothing when the red line was crossed…all talk with no support or back up.

That is the M.O. of the liberal fool, all talk. Peter speaks to our  time from his ordained place in time. He compared ignorant [and paid….probably Soros] protesters, who speak against dignities that they understand NOT, with animals that are bred to be destroyed or slaughtered or eaten. This is what we see on news broadcasts, people speaking their minds and their thoughts without discretion but pregnant with misinformation, prejudiced presuppositions and unethical biases.

The wise man keeps his mouth shut and observes, he “think[s] on these things” and at an appropriate time or in due time he speaks his God-filled and God-counseled mind. He will speak with composure, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and prudence. We learn from Christ’s Example at His illegal trials, Silence can say everything.

To summarize: Think thoughts through…… and then speak from a well thought place of Christ-likeness.

Godspeed.