Many years ago, I was asked if I would be the Chaplain for our Motorcycle Riding Club.  I answered, “Do you realize who you are asking to do this?”  I spent a big part of my life not being a very nice person.  First, it was living in Dallas as a very troubled young person.  I finally finished High School when I was almost 20 (which is another long story) and I enlisted in the Army.  Two years later, I started my Plebe Year at Westpoint. After about two years at West Point, God sent two very wonderful people to me then who opened my heart up to Jesus.  He became a major object of attention in my life for nearly two years.  In Luke, there is a parable that relates to my life in this because, soon after, I wandered away from God. 

In Luke 8:4-15, they are talking about a parable from Jesus.  ⁴ While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: ⁵ “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

⁹ His disciples asked him what this parable meant. ¹⁰ He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’^[a]

¹¹ “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. ¹⁴ The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

The roots are important.  They must be watered often with the Water that comes from God.  I promised to help water the members of the club but I told them they needed to understand some of the things as I saw them.  For example my attitude back then about profanity or cursing.  Profanity or cursing is profaning the name of God.  I might use certain words that others might find offensive or vulgar but I would never profane the Lord’s name by using it in vain.  That also means if I thought you were wrong about something I was more likely to say BS that “you are perhaps wrong” since the Lord’s name was not involved.  The logic is sound with this thinking, but there are a few holes. 

Someone once said to me “Do you kiss your child with that tongue?”  Well in James 3:9-12 it talks about the tongue. 

⁹ We use it to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse other people, who are created in the likeness of God.¹⁰ Words of thanksgiving and cursing pour out from the same mouth. My friends, this should not happen!¹¹ No spring of water pours out sweet water and bitter water from the same opening.¹² A fig tree, my friends, cannot bear olives; a grapevine cannot bear figs, nor can a salty spring produce sweet water.

We all grow through different things in our lives.  I came to realize that using vulgar or offensive words had a deeper impact because I had forgotten Jesus’ 2^nd Commandment to love thy neighbor.  If I truly love my neighbor, I will try not to do things to hurt or offend them.  I am still the Chaplain for the American Legion Riders and although I am not as actively involved as I once was, I still love all my brothers and sisters from the American Legion Riders.  I see now that we should not use profanity OR vulgar words.  Do they slip out – more often than I like, but I try to apologize immediately.  This story is not about me or how I have changed.  It is about how we all must change.  We are often brought to open our hearts to Jesus.  The devil will tempt us to turn away.  There are people who are thorns who will choke us and help us to turn away.  We need to take the poisonous thorns out of our life and water the roots of our faith.

Our prayerful thoughts for today should focus on the things that we say.  We give thanks that you have provided someone in our life to water our roots in your Son, Jesus Christ.  Help us to always look for those few drops that may fall upon us and nourish us.  Let us never forget that it is not only what we say but also the perceptions from others on what we meant.  Even the truth can be wrong if it is not complete.  Even the truth can be wrong if it is not presented in a gentle manner.  God asks us to obey his commandments and his Son asks us more simply to do the right thing.  Every action has a beginning and an end.  Every action has a cause and effect.  Dear God please ask us to always try to remember what is the long term impact of our actions.  Let us never forget to love our neighbors and be true Children of God.  I give you thanks also for the people who have nourished my roots.  I may need more water than others, but I want them to never wither or be choked…