An old Sunday school song has these lines: “O be careful little tongue what you say, O be careful little tongue what you say. For the Father up above Is looking down in love. So, be careful little tongue what you say.”
I’ve been in groups where people ‘walked on egg shells’ being careful what they said in fear of offending others or giving away true thoughts. This is not the intent of the song, nor does it reflect the intent of the NT verses such as:
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
Controlling what I say is not about wanting to make an impression. It is more about having a heart filled with the right things. As Jesus said,
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:34–37)
Paul repeats it with, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29) These verses are saying that having our hearts right will result in having our words come out in a pleasing manner.
Last night our small Bible study/prayer group met for a barbecue. The conversations were a reflection of the care and unity of our hearts, a true example of Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” That does not mean we agree on everything, or that anyone was being cautious with their speech. Rather, the unity of our love for Christ and for one another flowed easily. We came home feeling blessed and cared about, without any qualms about words we said or words we heard.
This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Everyone knows how easily unkind words can slip out. James wrote:
. . . . For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. (James 3:1–12)
The answer is learned. The Spirit of God continually teaches me to let Him fill me so my heart is in unity and filled with love for others. As the psalmist said, this is incredibly good and pleasant, and it is also entirely possible — because of Jesus.
PRAY: Jesus, I’m so thankful that You live in Your people and we can visit with one another in freedom of speech, without needing to guard our tongues in fear of saying something out of place. Your Spirit is our freedom and the source of good, pleasant, kind thoughts that come out of our mouths. You bless us with such amazing grace and enable us to have “unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.” (1 Peter 3:8)
PONDER: Think about the wonder of God who grants such grace that His people can disagree about the best car, best hockey team, even about minor points of doctrine, yet love one another deeply and without needing to be anxious about saying the wrong thing and being sent to a corner or told to shut up. 😊
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