The Tongue – The Saturday Morning Post

Today’s Passage – Proverbs 16 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 11 – 12; Psalms 96 – 100; Proverbs 20)

Read the “0720 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

(Proverbs 18:21) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Good morning. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Death and life: evil and good: hate and love: and those who love the tongue will receive the consequences whether good or bad.

(James 3:3-12) “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. (4) Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. (5) Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! (6) 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. (7) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: (8) But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (9) Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. (10) Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. (11) Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? (12) Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.”

You need to keep your tongue: what comes out of your mouth can heal as well as destroy. Sometimes we speak without thinking, and that causes problems.

(Proverbs 21:23) “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.”

(Proverbs 10:20) “The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.”

And it is the wicked who cannot keep his tongue…

(Psalm 10:4-7) “ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. (5) His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them. (6) He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity. (7) His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.”

A good example of this is what King David wrote in the beginning of Psalm 52…

(Psalm 52:1-4) “To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. (2) Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. (3) Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. (4) Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.”

We can make an effort to control and keep our tongues, but what did Jesus say?

(John 15:5) “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

We need the LORD, without Him, we can do nothing. Look at the following verses…

(Proverbs 16:1) “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD.”

(Psalm 34:13) “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”

(Psalm 35:27-28) “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. (28) And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.”

Let us all make an effort to keep our tongues from saying things we shouldn’t.

Peace.