The other day I had to pull a couple of my buddies aside and apologize
to them for my coarse language.
When I tried to be cute, the Holy Spirit nailed me, reminding me that as dead flies give perfume abad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor (Ecc. 10:1). Translation: Dwight, in a New York minute you can spoil a good reputation that has taken a lifetime to build by one inappropriate comment. To make matters worse, just the week before, my application from my Bible study was taken from Ephesians 4:29:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
I dont know about you, but man, can I identify with James when he says,
The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 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.
But tough as it is to keep our tongue in check, we know that a fruit of the Holy Spirit is self-control (Gal. 5:23). So what is our excuse?
Curiously, Jesus taught us that the tongue is not the real problem: Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart (Matt. 12:34b, 35 NLT).
Gulp.
APPLICATION: How about the idea of keeping tabs this week of your language, recording the times your speech is not in keeping with Jesus character. Then ask yourself the question, What do my patterns of speech reveal about the condition of my heart?
And What do I need to do about it?
This week may you experience His grace, peace and protection.
