Who Needs to know?

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"The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. "My head! My head! he said to his father. His father told a servant, 'Carry him to his mother.' After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return."

"Why go to him today?" he asked. "It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath."

"It's all right," she said.

She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on; don't slow down for me unless I tell you." So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, "Look! there's the Shunammite! Run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?"

"Everything is all right,"she said.

When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, "Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why."

"Did I ask for a son, my lord?" she said. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes?" ~2 Kings 4:18-28

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Interesting story. The lesson I want to impart today is pretty simple.

In the Story above we find this women that has had this great calamity come upon her, it says near the end there that "She is in bitter distress." 

Bitter distress, think about the last time you were in that state. What did you do? Probably sob for a bit, if you're a lady you probably didn't put your makeup on properly, and you probably called up some of your friends to talk about it right? How many people did you end up telling? 2? 3? maybe a few more than that?

Look at what the Shunammite woman did in this passage though, twice that we can read she was asked, "Is everything alright?" and she replied amply by saying, "Yes, everything is all right."

Not everything that happens in our lives needs to be broadcast to the world, and not everything that happens in our lives needs to be shared even with our closest friends. This is especially hard to do now because of the ease that social media has created to do this.

  I'll admit that it's something I struggle with sometimes, I'm a naturally honest and trusting person. If I got something on my plate and someone asks I tend to be willing to share whatever is going on. But that's not something that is necessarily a good thing.

Lets see what else the Bible says about holding our tongue.

"He who guards his mouth and his tongue, keeps himself from calamity." ~Proverbs 21:23

"If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless." ~James 1:26

"Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." ~Proverbs 17:28

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips." Psalm 141:3

And there are many more than just those, the Bible seems to be putting quite the emphasis on controlling our tongue and what we say doesn't it? 

This week, let's try and keep a reign on what we say and who we're saying it to. Instead of turning to our social media and posting everything we can about our life, how about we spend those extra few minutes turning to God and telling Him about what's going on in our life.

God Bless,

     Ryan