May the mumbling commence!
Every once in a while, I think that
I have my tongue under control. Then I
slip up and say some words that I wish that I can have back. But once the words are out there, there is no
way of retrieving them. Read some wisdom
from Psalm One-hundred forty-one:
Take control of what I say, O Lord,
and keep my lips sealed.
Don't let me lust for evil things;
don't let me participate in acts of wickedness.
Don't let me share in the delicacies
of those who do evil.
Let the godly strike me!
It will be a kindness!
If they reprove me, it is soothing
medicine.
Don't let me refuse it. (Verses 3-5a)
Yes, sometimes I think it would be
better to have sealed lips. It seems
that I have little control over what I say sometimes. This lack of control is a heart issue, an
attitude issue. Jesus said that our
words come from the overflow of our mouths.
Our words make us unclean (Mt 15:10ff; Mk 7:14ff).
I think that is why the psalmist
talks about lust and wickedness… craving for the delicacies of the devil. Sometimes we want to make the here and now
pleasant at whatever expense to our future and to other people around us. Evil words flow out of these attitudes of
selfishness.
But our example in Christ is the
epitome of selflessness.
Listen to what the letter of James
has to say about the tongue in chapter three:
We all make many mistakes, but those who control their
tongues can also control themselves in every other way. We can make a
large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a tiny
rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though
the winds are strong. So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous
damage it can do. A tiny spark
can set a great forest on fire.
And
the tongue is a flame of fire. It is
full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can
turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals and
birds and reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the
tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil,
full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out
of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! (Verses 2-10)
Woe are we with our deadly tongues
of evil and deadly poison. That is why
the psalmist cries out for rebuke and striking from the godly. That is why we seek so earnestly for the
leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The Spirit of the living Lord alone can control the fire of the
tongue. Let’s praise God and build up
one another.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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