Legend has it that in old Tibet whenever people met they would face each other, bend low and open both of their hands. This was done to let the other person know that they held no weapons.
Then they would straighten up, take a step back and open their mouths wide to let the other person know that their mouths contained no wicked words.
What would happen if we had a custom like that today? How would our world and our lives be different? Imagine what it would be like if we even entertained the idea that people could search our mouths for “wicked words.”
David wrote in a Psalm, “Take control of what I say, O Lord, and keep my lips sealed.” James wrote that “the tongue is a small thing but what enormous damage it can do.”
Someone said that the average person opens his mouth an average of 700 times a day to speak. That does not include the number of words, either. With the use of the cell phone today the number has no doubt increased!
We rarely consider the significance of the words that come out of our mouths until we see their results. Too often we speak first and then think. We need to turn the process around: think first and then speak.
Words, once spoken, can never be retrieved. They become part of eternity. We must use them to honor God.
Prayer: Lord, we ask that You fill our minds with Your thoughts, our hearts with Your love and our mouths with words that speak of Your grace, mercy and hope. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3
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