A Good Little Reminder

          (Proverbs 17:20 - ...and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief. , James 1: 26 - If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain., James 3:5/6/8 - Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, hoe great a matter a little fire kindleth!/And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell./But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison., I Peter 3: 10 - For he that will love life, and see good days let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. Proverbs 21: 23 - Whosoever keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble.).

There are so many times I fall in sin because of my tongue. I always regret it, but today I found this on Pinterest, and I think that it is an excellent reminder.

DON'T OPEN YOUR MOUTH:

1. In the heat of anger - Proverbs 14: 17.

2. When you don't have all the facts - Proverbs 18:13.

3. When you haven't verified the story - Deuteronomy 17:6.

4. If your words will offend a weaker brother - I Corinthians 8:11

5. If your words will be a poor reflection on the Lord or your friends and family - Peter 2: 21-23

6. When you are tempted to joke about sin - Proverbs 14:9.

7. When you would be ashamed of your words later - Proverbs 8:8.

8. When you're tempted to make light of holy things - Ecclesiastes 5:2.

9. If your words would convey a wrong impression - Proverbs 17:27.

10. If the issue is none of your business - Proverbs 14:10.

11. When you are tempted to tell an outright lie - Proverbs 4:24.

12. If your words will damage someone's reputation - Proverbs 16:27.

13. If your words will destroy a friendship - Proverbs 25:28.

14. When you are feeling critical - James 3:9

15. If you can't speak without yelling - Proverbs 25: 28

16. When it is time to listen - Proverbs 13:1

17. If you may have to eat your words later - Proverbs 18:21

18. If you have already said it more than one time (then it becomes nagging) - Proverbs 19:13.

19. When you are tempted to flatter a wicked person - Proverbs 24:24.

20. When you are supposed to be working, instead - Proverbs 14:23.

I believe I have become better at thinking before I speak, but sometime I still speak, even though I know it will be wrong.

And believe me, I have for all of these reasons when I shouldn't have.

At least once.

I regret it.

EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

I have hurt many, or ruined the reputation of some because of my words.

The [Great] Scientific Debate

          

          First of all, why am I bringing this up? Because it's so important and so overlooked. People want scientific evidence to prove something. If there's evidence, it's right. - This is today's mentality; we want proof for everything, just where different people get that proof is a different story.

One day, I will be a scientist, and this will be part of my everday life. 

So let's deal with it right now and here.

          Any arguments on specific issues almost always end up having something to do with some sort of discussion on "evidence." 

"Where's the evidence"?

"Science says this..."

"Of course this is true; the geological column says it all"!

This whole scientific logic is flawed! 

          As my teacher recently stated in class (and as I have thought so many times over), "Science is all theories; they can be "disproved" at any time." Even tomorrow, some established scientific theory could suddenly be "wrong"! (Even scientific laws have been disproven!)

          Yes, you can say that a scientific theory is different from a "normally-constructed" theory, and it is; a scientific theory is "proven" by tons of observations and experimentation, whereas a theory to an average person would be more of a scientific hypothesis. But the reality is that it is science!

          It is observed and constructed and experimented through human senses and intelligence, and as we know, humans are imperfect. Flawed. Every piece of evidence is seen through human understanding, which is a tiny, tiny fraction of what actually goes on in nature. 

          There is no such thing as "evidence," really. It is just a form of trying to understand what goes on in life. We will never even come close to understanding and explaining everything in life. It's just too much for our puny little brains to understand.

          So that's why I don't put my faith in science. Yes, I can learn about it, and marvel at how we think things work, but we might be thinking it all wrong. What we learn may be completely different from how it actually is; perhaps we may come up with some novel tools to help explain it more accurately, or to disprove something, but those novel tools could end up being replaced by other more highly intelligent tools (which could negate current results). We really will never be completely sure about the scientific realm. Ever.

Biblical Reference 

(Just for curiosities sake; I was writing this post before I read these verses, but I thought they fit perfectly for my little lecture)

          I. Corinthians 13: 9 - For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

          I. Corinthians 13: 12 - For now we see through a glass, darkly;...

          Ecclesiastes 3: 11 - ...he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

And yes, I am writing (or rather, finished writing) this at 1:30 am; that's when my thoughts seem to run the best. :D