HOLD YOUR TONGUE
Opening Prayer
“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psa. 141:3).
Read Proverbs 18:1–24
18 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.
2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.
3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.
4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.
6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.
10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.
12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.
13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
16 A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.
17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.
18 Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.
19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.
20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the Lord.
23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.
24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Today we return to Monday’s theme of the way we use words. Have you been more conscious of the way you speak?If there is one overall message the writer of Proverbs wants his readers to take away on the subject of words, it seems to be “hold back.” There’s an old adage that “God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we talk.”
Sadly, that’s not usually the way it works, is it? We’ve all blurted things out without thinking through the hurt they could cause, or pretended to be more knowledgeable about a subject than we really are. We often speak to impress rather than to inform. And we often view conversations as a chance to say things rather than as an opportunity to bless.
Verse 21 tells us, though, that the tongue has the power of life and death. This is true in the wartime extreme of “Careless talk costs lives,” but also in the day-to-day. Your words can build someone up and give life to their dreams and sense of self-worth, or they can kill those dreams and crush a person’s spirit.
Apply
How can you use your words to truthfully and sincerely build someone up today? Don’t pass up an opportunity to encourage today.
Closing prayer
God, help me to listen more than I speak. Give me the power to choose words that bring life and hope.
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