 |
| Ecclesiastes
5.6 (NIV) Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. |
 |
| The sensual nature of man is stimulated by the sins of the tongue.* |
 |
This verse is referring to unfulfilled oaths but it
could apply to any other sin that we commit with our mouths. While I may be
taking the words out of their intended context, the new context is still a Scriptural
one.
In
Scripture there are plenty of references to the bad things we can do with our
mouths so I wondered: what good things
can come out of our mouths? A quick scan of a concordance finds that from the
mouth can come laughter, wisdom, praise, graciousness, confession. With our
mouths we can make his faithfulness known; extol him; speak what is true; and
glorify him. Add to these the references to lips and tongue and we find that there
is plenty to keep our mouths too busy for false oaths, lies, gossip, and every
other sin that our mouths can lead us into.
It
is possible to honor God with your lips while your heart is not engaged (see Matthew
15.8 and 9, where Jesus quotes Isaiah), but James tells us, in chapter 3, verse
12, that a salt spring can’t produce fresh water. Before we can have a mouth
that does not lead us into sin, we first need to allow God to help us clean up
the source of our words.
Take
responsibility for what you say. Start with what you think.
|
 |
| Thoughts are words to God.* |
No comments:
Post a Comment