God has only one YOU to speak His Words that you have made your own to people who will only hear YOU.

- We decide how we respond to God’s Word - God’s Word is our tool to change our hearts - Our words are the barometer of what’s in our hearts - We will be responsible for our words when we give account to God

As Christians we must be people ‘of the book’ – God’s Word. We must use it to ‘sculpt’ our hearts to be pleasing to God.

God forgiving our sins by His grace does not mean we are not individually responsible for our actions and speech. We are and will account for our stewardship.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

1 My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you, . . .
2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom,
Incline your heart to understanding;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
 

• In Proverbs - 59 times
• In Ecclesiastes - 18 times
• In all the remaining OT – 16 times

‘Hear this now, O foolish people,
Without understanding,
Who have eyes and see not,
And who have ears and hear not:

‘For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’

6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”

The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. 36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. 37 For your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Because of laziness the building decays,
And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written:
“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

• The state of our own minds
• The state of our marriages
• How we raise our children
• Our God-given abilities