Who can control the tongue? (James 3)
Life and death are in its power
Who doesn’t struggle with this?
Keeping your tongue under your control,
saying things you wished you hadn’t?
For we shall give account for every idle word
It’s a never ending battle
The emotions crop up and misunderstandings occur
Some of us are better at it than others
The seemingly perfect ones make it seem so easy
To only speak when you are in control of your words
and to think things through thoroughly before you speak
If only
If only I could
If only we all could
Paul says that he did the very things he wished he hadn’t
He didn’t elaborate on what those things were
Maybe not his words but we can still glean from his sentiment
Speaking only the fruit of the Spirit, only what Jesus wants us to say
How do we attain such heights?
Is it even possible as mere mortals?
A thought becomes a word
A thought becomes a text or a tweet or a post or a phone call
Our thoughts of judgment and ugliness are better left unsaid
Brought instead to the throne of grace,
where He can remind us of our own failings
Scriptural References:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21
The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
2 Samuel 23:2
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Matthew 12:36
Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.
Job 6:24
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things Psalm 12:3
Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Psalm 34:13
The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Psalm 52:2
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. Psalm 52:4
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
Psalm 120:2
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21
For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile 1 Peter 3:10