Chapter 109—Home Religion
Home religion is greatly needed, and our words in the home should
be of a right character, or our testimonies in the church will amount
to nothing. Unless you manifest meekness, kindness, and courtesy in
your home, your religion will be in vain. If there were more genuine
home religion, there would be more power in the church.
Unkind Speech in the Home
What harm is wrought in the family circle by the utterance of
impatient words; for the impatient utterance of one leads another to
retort in the same spirit and manner. Then come words of retaliation,
words of self-justification, and it is by such words that a heavy, galling
yoke is manufactured for your neck; for all these bitter words will
come back in a baleful harvest to your soul.
Those who indulge in such language will experience shame, loss
of self-respect, loss of self-confidence, and will have bitter remorse
and regret that they allowed themselves to lose self-control and speak
in this way. How much better would it be if words of this character
were never spoken. How much better to have the oil of grace in the
heart, to be able to pass by all provocation, and bear all things with
Christlike meekness and forbearance.
If you fulfill the conditions of God’s promises, the promises will
be fulfilled to you. If your mind is stayed upon God, you will not go
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from a state of ecstasy to the valley of despondency when trial and
temptation come upon you. You will not talk doubt and gloom to
others.
Satan cannot read our thoughts, but he can see our actions, hear
our words; and from his long knowledge of the human family, he
can shape his temptations to take advantage of our weak points of
character. And how often do we let him into the secret of how he may
obtain the victory over us. Oh, that we might control our words and
actions! How strong we would become if our words were of such an
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