Jeremiah 5:25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

Do you expect blessing from the Lord? Do you expect them because of who He is or what you are? So many times I will quote Old Testament truths and people reply with comments like, “That OT stuff has passed away, we live in grace by faith.”

I get this image of people being hung by their feet over a fire pit. God is holding the end of the rope and has secured their safety in that he will never let them down. They praise God for knowing they will never be dropped into the fiery pit.

Does that sound like the abundant life He promises in John 10:10?

How would you feel if you replace the fiery pit with a pool of blessing? A pool of healing? A pool of whatever you truly need in your life? Would you want God to let you down? What prevents God from doing that?

Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

If this is true and you are not consumed, then Jeremiah 5:25 is also true for God does not change. So the blessings that are not coming your way are because you will not let go of your sin. Do not blame God who does not change, accept that it is we who must change.

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

OT truths are still true. The fact that you do not want to accept that does not change them.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Have you ever had a drink or something to eat that left this terrible aftertaste? The words of my mouth, unleashed without wisdom, often renders me with that same sense of displeasing taste. Yes, even after decades of following Christ, I still have those moments.

There are days when the Word of the Lord is pleasant to be used but there is no aftertaste that lingers with sweet speech. It is gone soon after spoken. Perhaps that is an encouragement to do it again. Perhaps it is because the glory is God’s and the lingering aftertaste of pleasure resides in Him.

Matthew 17:5c This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

The Words of His children are pleasing to the Father. We are His children. Our speech should be pleasing to Him. So often we think about the unpleasant speech and caution ourselves against it and fail somewhat. Do we take that same regard in pleasing our Father with fair speech?

I dare say placing ourselves in a place of opportunity has much to do with it. The Word cannot be spoken alone, it needs to fall upon the ears of those who need to hear. That cannot happen in isolation. We need to create opportunity by being in the community.

While it seems that the world practices bad speech and foul language, perhaps that is because no one has shown them a better way.

1 Corinthians 12:31b and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity (love), I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

Let the love that dwells in you speak.