Don't Say it!

4:30 AM / Posted by Bhebhe Lacson /

There are some silent people
Whose praises should be sung;
They preach a mighty sermon
By guarding well their tongue. --Posegate

If you hold your tongue now, you won't have to eat your words later.

Proverbs 10:8-21

8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

9 The man of integrity walks securely,
but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.

10 He who winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

12 Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs.

13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

16 The wages of the righteous bring them life,
but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

17 He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19 When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.


[There is] a time to keep silence. --Ecclesiastes 3:7

In Discipleship Journal, Cynthia Heald told of a time she and her husband Jack were talking about remodeling their house. He said he wished he had his brother-in-law's skill for carpentry. "For a brief second," Cynthia wrote, "I was ready to make a snappy reply by saying, 'Maybe my next husband will be more handy.'" She went on, "For once in my life I thought before I spoke and asked myself, 'Will this benefit Jack?' Of course the answer was no! So I was quiet for a moment and responded in a much more positive way."

The Bible tells us that we can accomplish much good with kind, thoughtful, and wise words (Prov. 10:31-32; 16:23; Eph. 4:29). We can all think of times we have been blessed by the gentle, encouraging words of a brother or sister in Christ.

Ecclesiastes tells us that there is also "a time to keep silence" (3:7). Sometimes we can accomplish more by not saying anything. We avoid inflicting pain, creating conflict, or damaging someone's reputation or future.

When we're tempted to say something critical, damaging, confidential, boastful, whiny, or patronizing, we need to stop and think of the effect. Let's follow Solomon's advice about "a time to keep silence" and don't say it! —DC Egner


PERSONAL REFLECTION:

Have you experienced, you wanted to burst out in anger and wanted to say anything that would hurt the person your angry with at the very moment? I did, my heart aches in so much anger and disappointment, after receiving a very harsh comment, I wanted to answer back -- something damaging, something that would hurt the person twice as much as I was hurt, that is our sinful nature -- but after I calm down, I'm glad I didn't, I'm thankful that I chose to keep silent or I would regret the words that might have been said, words that you can't take back

I won't forget this line from Ninang Jane during her testimony: "Huwag mong Hayaang masira ang patotoo mo dahil sa maling gawa nila"; it's true we are accountable for it.

I think I am victorious - I am victorious over satan, I am victorious over my old sinful nature - and I praise God for that!

As Christians, let us strive to say something encouraging to someone, specially to our fellow Christians, let's be more sensitive toward each others' feelings. Let's think twice before we say something.


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Taming the Tongue

4:29 AM / Posted by Bhebhe Lacson /

Lord, set a watch upon my lips,
My tongue control today;
Help me evaluate each thought
And guard each word I say. —Hess

To bridle your tongue, give God the reins of your heart.


He who restrains his lips is wise. --Proverbs 10:19


At amusement parks, the bumper-car ride is always popular. People enjoy driving recklessly for a few minutes, bumping deliberately but harmlessly into other people's cars.

Some people have a bumper-car mentality in their relationships with others. Using blunt words, they deliberately bump into others' feelings, which is anything but harmless.

Solomon wrote, "He who restrains his lips is wise" (Proverbs 10:19). But James said, "No man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). He said that with the tongue we bless our God who created us, but we also curse those whom He has created (v.9). Lest we think that Christians do the blessing and non-Christians do the cursing, we need to remember that James was writing to Christians.

To tame our tongues, we need God's help. In Romans 6:13, Paul said that we need to make a choice—to present the parts of our body "as instruments of righteousness to God," not "as instruments of unrighteousness to sin."

Today and every day, choose to present your body—including your unruly tongue—as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:2) to be used by Him as an instrument of blessing. — J Yoder


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Saying Unkind words to our Fellow Christians

2:38 AM / Posted by Bhebhe Lacson /

MAN EATERS

It's only a word! But a word may harm
And open a wound with its lingering smart;
And a word may heal or a word may charm
If it comes direct from a loving heart. —Anon.

It's better to bite your tongue than to make a biting remark.


If you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! --Galatians 5:15


Have you ever heard of one snake eating another snake? According to zookeepers, two of these reptiles will sometimes grab different ends of the same piece of food. Sooner or later their struggle for that last bite brings them nose to nose. But then comes the surprise. The snake with the widest bite will keep right on going and actually swallow the other!

Christians have been known to "consume one another" too. We may say something unkind to a fellow Christian, who then becomes defensive, and an argument develops. We know we would be better off if we held our tongue and trusted the Lord for the outcome, but we just keep going.

It's easy to assume that we're too mature to let things go too far. But the apostle Paul reminded us in Galatians 5:15 that words and emotions can get out of hand—even among Christians. When this happens, feelings get hurt, friendships are destroyed, the church becomes divided, and the body of Christ suffers.

It is crucial that we ask the Lord daily to help us to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another" (Eph. 4:32). Only as we rely on Him will the love of Christ in our hearts replace the man-eating impulses of a sharp tongue and a bitter spirit. — Mart De Haan



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