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‘Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight’ Psalm 19:14 NKJV

Ernest Hemingway quipped, ‘It takes two years to learn to speak and sixty to learn to keep quiet.’ The Psalmist prayed, ‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord.’ A sin most often tolerated in the church, and sometimes even condoned, is the sin of gossip. Jesus condemns careless words, saying they ‘…come from an evil heart…’ (Matthew 15:18 TLB) And how about words we speak without considering their effect on others? If you think God just turns a blind eye, think again! Jesus said, ‘…on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak…’ (Matthew 12:36 ESV) Your words create or destroy, discourage or inspire, heal or hurt, so choose what you say carefully. Careless words are often just the meaningless chatter we engage in when we’ve nothing worthwhile to contribute. And the more you speak them, the more likely they are to deteriorate into gossip and hurt people. Solomon writes: ‘Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent…’ (Proverbs 17:28 NLT) Would you trust someone who had a frivolous comment for everything? No? Then stop and think about what comes out of your mouth! Would you get more respect and cause less confusion if you kept it shut? Or were more discerning about the kind of stories you tell? Or thought twice before you ‘shoot from the hip’? The Bible says, ‘Let your speech always be with grace…that you may know how you ought to answer each one.’ (Colossians 4:6 NKJV)

SoulFood: Jos 8:30-10:43, Luke 22:39-53, Ps 24, Pr 21:1-2

The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright 2012

The Word for Today

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