The Tongue

   My thought today is on the Tongue. The Bible says in James 3:8 that "no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." The tongue is like the rudder of a ship that guides one down the path of Life.(James 3:4) The Word of God says that "Death and Life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it shall eat its fruit."(Prov. 18:21) It is NOT my opinion which I desire to express, but only what is the mind of Christ. My opinion carries no weight, but the Word of God abides forever. Man's opinions change like the wind, but God's Holy Word is a foundation stone, a Chief cornerstone, that we can build upon.
  The mouth of the righteous should be totally different from the mouth of a wicked person. Why? Because Jesus "dwells" or lives inside of the believer. When someone is born again, there is a sudden change in their speech. To continue to speak vulgar statements is to be in disobedience to God. Our mind, our hearts, and our spirits need to be bathed by the word of God. Romans 12:2 says "And be not conformed to this world (worldly patterns), but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."(ESV)
   The Bible says that "the tongue of the wise brings healing." (Prov 12:18b) "The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence." (Prov 10:11) With our mouths, we can either bring a blessing or a curse. With our Tongues we create our future, and can lift up or tear down our friends, family, and even ourselves. The Bible often says to "Consider your ways" or "Consider your Words.""When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise."(Prov 10:19)
   The mouth of a Godly man, or as the scripture says "The Mouth of the righteous (Man) flows with wisdom." (Prov 11:31) Our words are very weighty. There is much substance in our words, yet many times we speak very frivolously. We are all "guilty" of speaking sometimes when we should be silent. Words can cut like a dagger, and words can lead one to death. The Bible again says that "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver." (Prov 10:20) There should be a great difference between what the righteous say and what the ungodly man speaks. The should be a very wide chasm between the two. Can a fountain send forth both bitter and sweet water? It cannot!
   I like to think of myself as an encourager and a wordsmith. Words are a great power to have, and the ability to persuade with words go back to the ancient merchants of old. Any good Politician knows that it is not just what you say, but how you say it. God alone knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, but whatever is in a man will eventually come out of his mouth.
   Back in the late 1970's, I read a good book called "Beauty Care for the Tongue" by Leroy Hoopman. It was a very good book on taming the tongue. Another book that I read and have started to read again is "The Tongue- A Creative Force" by Charles Capps. If the tongue is the rudder of the ship, then what we speak can be and should be very important to us and it definitely is to God.
   With our tongue, we can build up a friend or tear them down. With our Tongue we can Bless God and Praise the Name of Jesus. We can speak with new tongues in a Heavenly language. With our tongues, we can sing the high Praises of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The choice is ours!