Saturday August 2, 2014
'...If
we could control our tongues, we...could also control ourselves in every other
way.' James 3:2 NLT
Control Your Tongue
The saying goes, 'We are like cats; we lick
ourselves with our tongues!' When someone spreads gossip, mark that person
carefully. Why? Because if they talk to you about somebody else, they'll talk
to somebody else about you. The Bible warns us about three things: (1) a hasty
tongue. 'Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool
than for him.' (Proverbs 29:20 NKJV) If you take time to get the facts, much of
the time you'll speak differently. Hannah prayed so passionately for a child that
Eli the high priest thought she was drunk. When the disciples saw Jesus walking
toward them on the Sea of Galilee, they thought He was a ghost. So think, or
better yet, pray before you jump to conclusions. (2) a flattering tongue.
'...There is no faithfulness in their mouth...they flatter with their tongue.'
(Psalm 5:9 NKJV) Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be genuine. When you
flatter people, you manipulate them for your own ends. Don't do that. Give it
to them straight. If you love them, be truthful with them. (3) a judgmental
tongue. Jesus said, 'Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment
you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be
measured back to you.' (Matthew 7:1-2 NKJV) If you live long enough, you'll be
guilty of many of the same things you're so quick to condemn in others. The
truth is, how you deal with other people determines how God deals with you.
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
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