“Those who guard their
mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.” Proverbs 21:23
The tongue. It can
bring joy or sorrow; healing or pain.
Such a tiny part of our bodies can inflict such devastating
destruction. With every word we speak
comes consequences. They are equal to
the verbiage that comes out of our mouth.
If we speak evil, negative consequences shall follow, if not immediately
then eventually. If we speak kindness,
positive consequences shall follow. It’s
all tied to our tongue.
I contend that while the spoken word may have a more
pronounced effect in real time, emails and texts can have a much worse effect
because their tone can be easily misconstrued.
We seem to have lost the art of verbal communication. No one has the time to converse with you
anymore. Our vocabulary has been
downgraded to flip phrases and sarcastic banter injected with profanity. Obviously this description doesn’t include
every human on the face of the earth, but I’m afraid it’s starting to become
more the norm.
It’s never okay to heap negativism and discouragement on
others. Be uplifting or be quiet. Allow the Holy Spirit to be the guard at your
mouth. When you start to say something
that will bring someone down, stop, think twice and don’t say it. Words pack a wallop. One inappropriate statement by you can blow
someone right out of the water. We must
begin to think like Jesus. Thinking like
Him will cause us to speak like Him.
Speaking like Him will cause us to begin to act and react like Him. This is the point of our lives. To lift up, not tear down. To promote healing, not rip off a scab. Be a help, not a hindrance. God expects it from us. He didn’t forgive us to continue to act out
in an ungodly way. Have a teachable
spirit in these matters. Until next
time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
NOTE: For more on taming the tongue, read James
3:1-12.
