Lesson 14: Speaking the Gospel in Words of Life
Question 5
Elisha did not go on a mission to pull out all the poisonous gourds in the stew—the poison had permeated the entire pot. Instead, Elisha put flour into the pot and miraculously the stew became edible. Possibly the flour drew to itself all the poison in the pot, and left nutritionally healthy stew.
We know that we can find application for our lives in this story because Jesus told his disciples on the road to Emmaus that the Old Testament Scriptures spoke about Him (Luke 24:25-27) and this story is no exception.
Think of how God sent His Son right into the midst of this poisonous world. He came from the glories of heaven to this “pot of death” in which we live, and He went to the cross to deal with our sin problem. And here is where God performed the miracle!
As Jesus hung on the cross, He drew to Himself all our sin, all the evil poison of our sinful hearts—past, present, and future. He “became sin for us…” (2 Corinthians 5:21a).
And what was the result? He purified us! “…that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21b). There is no more “death in the pot” for those who believe in Jesus. Jesus took our death and gave us life eternal! He absorbed all the evil and then replaced it with His love (Romans 5:5).
Now with our thoughts centered in the gospel, let’s consider the miracle of the transformed stew again, and see if we can apply it to the issue of our hearts and how they affect our speech.
Our hearts are like the pot, aren’t they? Whatever we put in our heart is what will pour out of our mouths when we speak.
Sadly, there are times when you might unwittingly take poison into your heart. Maybe it is through listening to worldly counsel, or perhaps it enters when you dwell on negative thoughts about your spouse. You can’t pick the poison out, but you can neutralize the poison by adding in the gospel of Jesus. As you do, Jesus’ love, which is poured into your heart by His Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) will cause beautiful words of life to flow freely from you to those around you.
Question 5. How can you take in more of the gospel of Jesus today? Please share.
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