Daily Devotional For Monday, February 19, 2024

I hope and pray your weekend was a good one. The Book of Proverbs has a lot to say about the tongue for good reasons. This is why the Book of James says this in James 3:10, “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (ESV). Would you agree with John MacArthur when he writes this:

“The tongue is you in a unique way. It is a tattletale that tells on the heart and discloses the real person. Not only that, but misuse of the tongue is perhaps the easiest way to sin. There are some sins that an individual may not be able to commit simply because he does not have the opportunity. But there are no limits to what one can say, no built-in restraints or boundaries. In Scripture, the tongue is variously described as wicked, deceitful, perverse, filthy, corrupt, flattering, slanderous, gossiping, blasphemous, foolish, boasting, complaining, cursing, contentious, sensual, and vile. And that list is not exhaustive. No wonder God put the tongue in a cage behind the teeth, walled in by the mouth! Using another figure, someone has observed that because the tongue is in a wet place, it can easily slip. The tongue is of great concern to James, being mentioned in every chapter of his letter (see 1:19, 26; 2:12; 3:5, 6 [twice], 8; 4:11; 5:12). In 3:1–12 he uses the tongue as still another test of living faith, because the genuineness of a person’s faith inevitably will be demonstrated by his speech. James personifies the tongue and the mouth as representatives of the depravity and wretchedness of the inner person. The tongue only produces what it is told to produce by the heart, where sin originates (cf. 1:14–15). “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders,” Jesus declared (Matt. 15:19)” (i.e., John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “James,” p. 144).

Years ago some audio scientists said that sound waves, once set in motion, continue indefinitely. And if we could catch up with them, then we had the right technology, then we could capture them and reproduce them. That is scary but fortunately that theory has been debunked. Sound waves do not have infinite and indefinite energy to continue forever. What is scary is Jesus’ words on Matthew 12:36-37,  “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, (37) for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (ESV). Jesus is saying that no one indicator shows your character more like your tongue does. 

We see this even in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned against God and God questioned them about what they had done, look at Adam’s response (tongue) in Genesis 3:12, “The man said, `The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate’” (ESV). Adam did not blame himself; He blamed God with his tongue. This is why the Apostle Paul writes what he does about the unrighteous heart in Romans 3:13-14, “Their throat is pan open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” (14) “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness” (ESV). But opposite is also true. A righteous heart has a righteous tongue. 

When we give our life to Jesus Christ, the Bible says we become a brand new creation. The old is gone and are now a new person. And in James 3:10 above, James says, even believers can have a propensity to compromise with their tongue. We can use our tongue to praise God and we can see our tongue to curse and speak foul, ungodly language. Every Christian is guilty of this — even myself. This is the point of Proverbs 6:16-19:

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to Him: (17) haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, (18)  a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, (19) a false witness who breathes out lies,  and one who sows discord among brothers” (ESV).

Chuck Swindoll writes this:

"For a man of wisdom, Solomon uses the words tongue, mouth, lips and words around 150 times in the Book of Proverbs. On average, a reference to speech appears five times in each of the thirty-one chapters. Seems to me any subject mentioned that often calls for extended attention in our examination of the book of Proverbs. So we will devote two weeks to the topic of wise uses of the tongue” (i.e., Charles R. Swindoll,  Living the Proverbs: Insights for the Daily Grind (p. 84), Kindle Edition. 

Jesus says this about the tongue in Luke 6:45, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (ESV). Ouch! Do you feel a little convicted here? This is why James uses the analogy of fresh and salt water in James 3:9-10:

“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. (10) From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (11) Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? (12) Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water” (ESV).

When you go to get water from your sink, it doesn’t one time produce fresh water and a later time salt water. James says, one of the ways you know who is saved, who is righteous, who is godly, who is holy — who is maturing in Christ — making their character more like Jesus Christ’s character is our tongue. Oh no. You can’t claim you love Jesus and are saved if out of your mouth comes “salt water”— course language, profanity, crude language and foul language. James uses some pretty strong words to denounce this. He says, “ought not.” This the Greek words [ὐ χρή, ou chre]. This phrase in the Greek language is the strongest use of a negative. This is the only place in the Bible this is used and for good reasons.

Maybe James uses such a strong negative due to what Jesus first called his brother John and him years earlier — “sons of thunder in Mark 3:17, “James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder” (ESV). This is the Greek New Testament word [βοανηργές, boanerges]. This word refers to someone who is a hothead, judgmental and condemning and loses his/her temper.  And when they do lose their temper, don’t be shocked by what comes out of their mouths. 

Maybe James is so firm about the mouth because as an early disciple, he had a potty mouth. Growing up, we children sometimes said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Whew — what a lie that is. Some of us can go all the way back to early childhood and share something hurtful, insulting, cruel and vindictive that a parent, or sibling, or a friend said to us. Words do hurt. They hurt others. They hurt our witness. They reveal our character. Read below the words of Fay Angus:

“The Bible tells us that the most vital and yet the most difficult thing to master is our words. It is not so much what goes in one ear and comes out the other that bothers us, it is what goes in one ear, gets garbled in the process, and then comes out the mouth!” (Fay Angus, “Running Around In Spiritual Circles,” Christianity Today, Vol. 32, No. 16).

What do you think? Let me bring this devotional to an end with this final illustration by Nancy Ortberg  (i.e., here is the link: https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1999/october/12049.html.).

“I am by words and actions constantly revealing the state of my heart. When we lived in a small valley town in California, I was Christmas shopping one day. It was rather late in the season, and I had to run out and get a few last minute things. At Christmas time, you know what it's like simply to find a parking spot in the jungle.

I finally spotted this old couple walking very slowly to their car. I thought, If I can follow them down the aisle and wait for them to get into their car, that parking space will be mine! So I waited patiently with my blinker on. The couple put their gifts in the trunk, and he opened the door for his wife. I thought, There's no time for chivalry. Get in the car and go.

They pulled out slowly, and as I was ready to turn in, a beat up, old van pulled in front of me and took my space. I got out of my car and had a chat with the driver. Had my mother been there, she would have washed my mouth out with soap. I chatted so long and hard and with such interesting words that he backed out of the parking space.

I felt good initially. I thought, I'm good. I stood up for my rights. I'm pretty feisty. But then, the verse came into my head that says, "The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'" (Matthew 15:18). 

The painful truth is the Bible says the condition of my heart is reflected by what comes out of my mouth and how I live my life. Many days after that I came to the conclusion I was wrong. I told God my actions and words did indeed reflect the condition of my heart, and I wasn't proud of it.”

Questions To Consider

1. If you could go back in time and undo something you said that was hurtful or ungodly or not Christlike, what is it and why?
2. Would Jesus Christ say you have a problem with your tongue? If so, why?
3. Like James and John, due to your mouth/tongue, what is a nickname Jesus might give you and why?
4. In what ways have you noticed our culture is more accepting and even encouraging of crude language, course talk, profanity and obscene words?
5. In what ways have you noticed people who call themselves Christian accepting and even using the same ungodly words?
6. Here is my challenge to you today: go a full 24 hours without saying anything unkind or hurtful or ungodly or unholy to anyone else. Will you take up this challenge? Why or why not? I got this idea from this article (i.e., here is the link: https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2007/february/4020507.html.).

“Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, has lectured throughout this country on the powerful, and often negative, impact of words. He often asks audiences if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, another person. Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands, signifying "yes." Others laugh, and quite a large number call out, “no!" Telushkin responds: "Those who can't answer 'yes' must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you cannot go 24 hours without drinking liquor, you are addicted to alcohol. If you cannot go 24 hours without smoking, you are addicted to nicotine. Similarly, if you cannot go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue."

7. Who this week can you use your words to encourage, especially someone you may not like. Jesus commanded us “to do to even our enemies” (Luke 6:27-28, “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, (28) bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (ESV).

Scripture To Meditate On: Proverbs 24:17, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I can have a problem with my tongue. I can come to church and praise You with my words and then later in the day, some of the most unholy words can come out of my mouth. God help me to tame my tongue. My tongue does reveal my character and at times, I don’t like what it reveals. I can be hypocritical and judgmental of others while at the same time using words and language that does not glorify You. I will commit to going 24 hours with saying anything unkind, unholy, ungodly to anyone or just out loud. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you!, Pastor Kelly