Proverbs 8-11

July 9

Proverbs 8-11

"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment." (Proverbs 10:19-21, NIV)

The tongue is a powerful tool for good and for evil. With the words spoken by men and women, hearts have been changed, lives transformed as God took those words and opened the eyes of lost and broken people and brought them hope through a relationship with Jesus. But with the tongue of other men and women, great evil has come to power and wickedness spread through the world. With the tongue people are lifted up and encouraged, but with the tongue others are torn down and humiliated.

The tongue has great power to change the world in which we live for good or evil. Often words are spoken that as they come out of the mouth the person speaking regrets. We cannot put those words back in our mouth. Once they are spoken, they continue to affect those who hear. When we do not know what to say, we mistakenly talk until we figure out what to say. How much better to be quiet, than to speak the words of a fool. Sometimes we say more in what we don’t say than in what we say.

James wrote; "All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?" (James 3:7-11, NIV)

Some people break horses, some train dogs, but great is the person who can learn to control their tongue so that it is used to bring life instead of destruction.