"For by thy words thou shalt be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned."
- Matthew 12:37

I've spent most of the evening working with a recorder on my computer.  I am transferring some sermons that were available online onto a CD so I can listen to them while I am on the road.

Doing this isn't as easy as it sounds.  In order to get them onto CD, I must take the sermons through several stages.  First, I must play the sermon files, which are in .RAM format, so my digital recorder will record the sermons.  I then save them in .WAV format.  Unfortunately, most CD players won't playback a .WAV file.  So, I use a separate software program to convert the .WAV files into .MP3 format, which WILL play on my CD player.

During this process I have been listening to the sermons.And one of the things that stands out is this:  the recorder that originally recorded the preaching of the sermon...

...doesn't miss a thing!

When the preacher quoted the wrong verse, it was recorded. If a word was mispronounced, it was caught on tape.  Whether his voice was raised in excitement or dramatically soft, every single thing that was said was recorded EXACTLY as it was said.

Now, I can tell you from experience, we have our good days and we have our bad days when speaking.  Sometimes I listen to messages I have shared and I think, "Wow, God really said some great things through me that day."  Other times I listen to the messages and I think, "Wow, could I have possibly made any more mistakes than I did that day?"

Some make me cringe in disbelief that I actually said that, and others make me smile in bliss knowing that what was said was straight from the Lord.

You know, as I thought about this tonight during my work, I began to think about this:  what if each night we had to download a file that had recorded everything we said during the past 24 hours? What if we had to play it back in front of our friends?  Or, maybe it was played over a loud speaker at our church or in the middle of the grocery store?

Would would be embarassed?  Or, unashamed?  Would we cringe and think "I can't believe I said that?" Or, would we smile knowing that we said things that were straight from the Lord?

I just wonder sometimes how the things we have said would sound to us if we had to hear them replayed back to us.  Would we hear gossip that we never want others to hear?  Would we be able to recognize that rude tone in the way that we talk to our spouse and children?  Would there be any lies in there, any angry statements, any hurtful words?  What about bragging -- would our pride be replayed before our ears?

Or, maybe we WOULD be pleased with what we hear.  Maybe we would hear edifying, encouraging words that we had said.  Perhaps we would be listening to the truth spoken in love and tones of compassion and concern.  Maybe we would hear "I love you" and "thank you" and "What can I do to help?"

What about it, Christian?  Think back to the past 24 hours.  What has been recorded from your words? 

Are you cringing, or smiling?

If a recording of the past 24 hours was played of your words...

...what would you hear?