The tongue is a muscle that lies in your mouth. In Proverbs 14:25 we read, “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is a traitor.” In Proverbs 15:4 we read, “Gentle words are a tree of life, a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
I am frequently asked to give counsel to people. When I do, I must be careful that the listener fully understands what I am saying. If they misunderstand and I am put on a witness stand, there may be a conflict between what I said and what he/she thought I said. People don’t always want to hear what I need to say and sometimes words can be twisted. In Proverbs 16:24 we read, “Kind words are like honey — sweet to the taste and healthy for the body.”
I prefer to offer kind words because I also love to hear kind words. They lift my spirit. I want to do the same for others. If the counsel someone seeks is not in my area of expertise, I refer them to someone who can give them solid counsel relating to their issue. I am not a lawyer or psychologist.
In Proverbs 17:27 we read, “A wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.” The one thing I always try to discern is: “Does this person truly want the will of God and His light on their situation?” In Proverbs 19:20 we read, “Truthful words stand the test of time, but lies are soon exposed.”
Folks – the truth is always the truth. It never changes. We, as Christians, should be people who speak the truth and always seek the truth. One last passage from Proverbs is 25:11-12, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket. To one who listens, valid criticism is like a gold earring or other gold jewelry.”
My concordance under ‘tongue’, says “part of the mouth that enables speech; dialect or the language of a people; a special gift of a speech given by the Holy Spirit.” We will always speak the truth if we ask the Holy Spirit to supervise our tongues.
I hope this meditation has given you food for thought.
Blessings, Pastor Leonard
