Thoughts for another day

July 12, 2007

Today's verse: Pr. 12:18. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

When you think of it, it dawns upon you that there is tremendous power in the tongue. One of its great powers is to bring healing to hurting souls. Yet, our human nature usually does not allow us to do that. Rather there are things we do with the tongue that hurt. That cut through the heart, scalding it in its wake.

Crudeness in the ways of the tongue is something we are all familiar with. We use it to slash as with a sword. We use it to lay down and torment. We use it to good effect in putting down people and as we say, put them in their place. And we do all kinds of things with our tongue that erode the fabric of niceness within human beings. Many a person has been done in because of the tongue. Because of it, homes have broken. Members of families have split and hurt each other. When it comes to it, you wonder, such a small instrument in the body can cause such waste?

Rightly has James said, ‘the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity’, James 3:6. He adds saying that it defiles the whole body and again when you reflect, don’t you think he’s very right?

Let us today pray to God to help us put our tongues on a leash. Minimum words to be spoken and that too, words that help build, not destroy like that of the tongue of the wise. Let our tongues be used more to glorify our God rather than to vilify men. We pray to God to allow us to exercise our tongue to be true to His nature in setting forth words of healing. It doesn’t cost us much except our pride. But for the sake of our Lord, let us do it.