“The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.” (Proverbs 10:32) NIV
It is so hard to find a movie that doesn’t have all kinds of “ugly” words in it. I asked one of my friends the other day, “Do people really talk like this in their everyday lives?” She said, yes. That made my heart sink. I am not trying to sound all self-righteous or anything and my words need great improvement, but we must learn to speak in a manner that honors God.
When George H. W. Bush was running for President in 1988, he admitted he’d made an inappropriate remark about American journalist Dan Rather and White House correspondent Lesley Stahl after an on-air confrontation. Bush referred to Rather in an unprintable term, and also took God’s name in vain in speaking about Columbia Broadcasting System. When confronted, he said, “If I’d known the microphone was on I wouldn’t have taken the Lord’s name in vain, and I apologize for that.” The fact is, he shouldn’t have said what he said whether the mic was on or not. Remember, God’s tape is always running!
The following was recorded in the Word of God centuries ago for our guidance and direction:
“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:2-3, NIV).
Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. (Ephesians 4:29, Amplified Bible)
As ambassadors for Christ, we need to be continually asking ourselves, “Would Jesus use the words that I am using?” In John 6:63 Jesus said, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Do our words qualify as spirit and life? Do the words out of our mouth edify, exhort, and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3)? Are we speaking blessings or cursings
(Deuteronomy 30:19)? We do have a choice! Our tongue is the most unruly member of our body. What you and I have to decide is whether our tongue is going to rule us, or are we going to rule our tongue (James 3).
