The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 —
Someone once told me that in addition to a gun registry, we should have a tongue registry. That way we could exercise “tongue control” and not have people go “shooting off their mouths.” We’ve all experienced damage from an uncontrolled tongue.
God intends for us to use our speech wisely. The answer isn’t found in becoming tongue-tied and saying nothing. God gave us the gift of speech for a good reason. The second part of our proverb for today reveals that God wants us to use the tongue as a tool, not as a weapon.
God intends that we use our tongue to communicate with others and build relationships. When something isn’t going right in a relationship, God intends for us to use our tongue to build bridges of understanding. Words aren’t meant to pierce and destroy; they are meant to be vehicles of truth, reconciliation, and healing. If we want to evaluate the quality of our speech, we can do no better than to think of God’s ultimate speech to us, in Jesus.
Do our words measure up to the character of Christ? With the Spirit of Christ working in us and shaping us, we know we will become more Christlike (2 Corinthians 3:18). Wise people take note, and then they take time to think before they speak.
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