Thou Shalt Not

What is a promise?  A promise is a declaration that something will or will not be done, given, etc., by one.  Isn't it wonderful when people make promises for you when they may seem impossible to keep?  There have been two promises made that have lingered with me for awhile.  The first promise, one that was made when my mother was passing away.  As everyone stood by her bedside and she was able to tell us she loved us, she turns to Gary and asks for him to make her a promise.  She asks Gary to make sure I brush my hair.  What?  Of course, he says yes.  What?  I do have that unkept, free flowing look, but I do brush my hair daily, as well as, shower and brush my teeth.  I do not need to have someone make me brush my hair, and certainly not Gary.  Promise #1 - ridiculous!

Onto the next, most recent promise.  Dad was on his way to surgery and Debbie says, "Daddy wants you to quit cussing".  Now I am not very proud of the fact that I can probably out cuss any sailor on any given day.  And technically, Daddy never asked me directly to quit cussing.  It was translated through Debbie.  I do realize that this is not a very good part of my personality.  At times I think maybe I have a mild form of turrets where it just happens.  I sometimes feel that I have no control over what I am saying. 

With Dad's passing I have been thinking alot about this promise.  I didn't promise to brush my hair and I don't think that messy hair is a deal breaker on getting into heaven and eternity.  But maybe cussing or swearing is, so I'm thinking about it.  As Dad is waiting for surgery, Debbie and I are discussing whether the words I choose, at times, are in fact a sin.  My rebuttal is that there is only one word addressed in the Bible as swearing.  All the others are not stated as Thou Shalt Not say.  So are they truly off limits and sinful? 

So now I am on mission to find out the answer to this question.  Who would I go to to find out the answer?  Billy Graham would know, but how does one get in touch with Billy Graham?  I don't know. " Maybe Jimmy Swagart.  He was always on our television, holding the Bible, every Sunday morning until the embarrassing situation with  "the magazines".  Who is the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to the Bible?  Oh, it would be Larry, my brother.  He listened as I explained and here is his response via email:

What Do The Inspired Scriptures Say?

Cursing is certainly a sin according to the inspired Scriptures, no matter what a society says or accepts. The inspired apostle Paul tells us to “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29). We are again warned by Paul to “put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8). In the Greek language, the phrase, “filthy communication” means foul speaking, low and obscene speech.

In his letter, James declares that cursing should not come out of our mouth (James 3:10). He admonishes us further in James 4:11, not so much as to speak evil of another brother. For an example, Peter assured the Lord that he would “never fall away” from following him (Matthew 26:33 – ESV). Yet, just a few short hours later, this same apostle “denied with an oath” that he even knew Jesus (Matthew 26:72). The inspired record says that he even began to “curse and to swear”, reinforcing his denials of Jesus (Matthew 26:74). If the best of men were guilty of occasional lapses with regard to cursing and swearing, we must be constantly on guard that we do not sin even more grievously.


Conclusion

In Colossians 4:6, the apostle Paul tells us to, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Our speech should contain wholesome, pure, kind, and beneficial words. Words that encourage and build up a person, instead of tearing them down (Proverbs 16:23; Proverbs 25:11; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11).
So there it is!  There is more to his email, but there is proof and I am trying to stop cussing.  I have truly made a conscious effort to STOP THE PROFANITY. 

My morning drive is usually rushed and full of expletives, but Friday's drive was a breeze and no profanity.  As I thought more about these scriptures and my goal of becoming "cuss-free", I thought about the only book of the bible I have read completely.  It was the book of Job.  I heard Rick and Bubba talk about this book in the Bible and how helpful it was when Rick lost his son.  I wanted to find out more, so while on our trip to Washington D.C., I read the book of Job.  As it talked about Job's loyalty to God and how he lost everything but never questioned or turned away from God.  His faith never wavered.  Then I realized that this was in late January or February, right before Dad was admitted into the hospital. 

Then an amazing revelation occurred to me - was God trying to prepare me for my father's death?  I must admit, it hasn't been very easy for me.   I have been angry and bitter.  I have not been angry at God, but just angry and lost.  My soul is empty.  As I thought about this more, I realized that God has been with me all along.  That it was his way of preparing me for the events that were about to take place.  That he wanted to assure me that I shouldn't loose faith in Him.  That he would guide me to a place where I would belong, a place of peace.

It was an amazing revelation and good for my soul.  God is amazing in all he does!