Monday, January 12, 2015

Monday Thought -- January 12, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

There is no more powerful part of a person’s body than the tongue. Solomon provides several tidbits of advice about the tongue in Proverbs 12.

“The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.” (Proverbs 12:6)

Words have the power to hurt or to help those around you. Words aren’t harmless and innocent, they are powerfully destructive or amazingly helpful. God’s desire is that His children be among those whose lips bring encouragement, help, peace, and comfort to others, not hurt. How do your words affect the people around you?

“An evil man is trapped by his sinful talk, but a righteous man escapes trouble. From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him.” (Proverbs 12:13-14)

Your words not only affect those around you, they affect you, too. They can get you into great trouble or they can bring you great reward and happiness. Your words can fill you with guilt and dissatisfaction, or they can bring you a sense of accomplishment and pride. How do you feel about the things that your words do for you?

“A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies. Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” (Proverbs 12:17-19)

Sometimes we get the idea that a lie can get us out of trouble and make our lives better. It may work sometimes. It may work in the short-term. But in the long-run, lies always get us in trouble! Is the pattern of your words often untruthful, or is it always characterized by truth?

God wants to help us get control of our tongues and turn them from instruments of hurt and pain, to instruments of peace and help. Will you ask Him today to help you control your tongue? It’s a tough battle, in fact, there is none more difficult, but it’s worth the effort!

His, by Grace,


Steve

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