The Tongue
Posted By admin1 on March 20, 2010
I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me (Psalms 39: 1).
We sin in many ways, especially with our tongue, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man…And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell” (James 3: 2; 6). What comes out of our mouths defile us “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man (St. Matthew 15: 18).
Many sins are the results of our words: gossip, sowing discord, spreading rumours, lies, deceit, cursing, mocking and many others. All these come from our mouths, “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” (James 3:9-11).
As believers our words must be edifying, “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt , that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4: 6). Often the nature of our conversation is determined by the people around us. If we want to change our speech or conversation, we may be compelled to change the company we keep. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful” (Psalms 1:1). We may not be able to stop or change the conversation but we can excuse ourselves.
Righteous living is not limited in what we do or what we don’t do, it is as much as what we say, how we say it and the things we refrain from saying. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (St. Matthew 12: 35-37).
Let us watch what we say and what we do. Our words and our actions must be consistent of being believers. The tongue is a great instrument of peace if we learn to bridle our tongue. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace (James 3: 18).
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Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God (Ecclesiastes 5: 2-7).