oh those words!

friends, i was just reminded (once again!) how important our words really are to one another. how easily they can build someone up and how terribly easily they can destroy someone. through words we can convince, manipulate, tear down, embarrass, and slander. but also through our words we can encourage, flatter, rejoice, raise up one another, and heal.



these tongues of ours can sure get us in trouble. Proverbs 10:19 teaches us, "when words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." ditto Solomon. we also know from proverbs that "reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (12:18). and another... "the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (proverbs 18:21). wow. what's all this tongue talk? read that last verse again..."the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."



let's break it down. proverbs 10:19 says that if there are many words, sin will be present. but then it says that the person who can hold his tongue is wise. when you think before you speak, you might realize that what you were going to say isn't very encouraging. or you might conclude that what you were about to say would be boastful, or pin blame on someone, or call out someone's mistake. these things are just flat out unnecessary. we aren't the judge, and it's not our job to take revenge. but it is our job to love one another... scot mcknight taught at IBC one day and he explained the "jesus creed"...taken from Mark 12:30-31..."Hear O Israel, the Lord our God. The Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. And the second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." loving God and loving others...that's what we're called to do.



proverbs 12:18 says that the careless words can stab our friends, but that healing can come through people with wise tongues. i'm guessing a "wise" tongue is one who might live this jesus creed. i kind of think of the tongue jesus had and the words that his tongue spoke...is my tongue like his? and how can i make it more like his? when i'm freely blabbing, and going from one topic to the next or one annoyance to the next (oops!), i'm probably not stopping to consider jesus' tongue. would he let his tongue run so rampant?



the third verse from proverbs that i mentioned talks about the tongue giving power of life and death. ok, that's serious stuff. through this little tongue in my mouth, i have the power of life and death? i can speak evil words and cause physical death? ha, no not quite. but what about speaking words that show people life, that give people lives some meaning? and the rest of the verse says that "those who love it will eat its fruit." this is true, have you seen this in action? think about a gossip queen that you know who enjoys talking badly about others and delights in downfalls of friends because it's one more thing to get a laugh about...she's eating that "fruit" (major reference to the apple in the garden in genesis!). she's speaking ugly words and letting her tongue go untamed (james 3:7-8), and the more she does it, the worse it gets. i'm saying "she" but really i could say "me" or "us" here because we've probably all done it.



ephesians summarizes it,"don't use bad language. Say only what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing" (4:29, Living).



on that note, i'm going to go complain to a coworker about something...only kidding...ha! i'm going to put these verses into action :) peace!