8/11/13
“Your Speech: Is It Healthy?”
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Scripture Reading:
Psalm 19:1-10 Your words speak volumes about yourself. God gave each of us a tongue and calls us to use it responsibly. Today’s topic is your speech. Here as you can see, the Bible is literally packed with wisdom that relates to the things you say.
Psalm 12:1 “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. (2) They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. (4) “Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?” Psalm 34:13 “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” Psalm 39:1 “I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.” Psalm 141:3 “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Proverbs 10:11 “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” Proverbs 12:18 “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” Proverbs 13:3 “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 15:1 “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Proverbs 16:23 “The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. (24) Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 15:4 “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” Proverbs 18:4 “The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.” |
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 21:23 “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.” Then there is Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Your words can create hope and encouragement and peace and strength in another person. But they can also dishearten and discourage them. And here are just a couple more passages. These are from the NT. Matthew 12:35 “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. (36) But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. (37) For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” James 1:26 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.” As you can easily see, the Bible is filled with wisdom regarding the tongue. It may very well be the greatest book every written on the use and misuse of the tongue. It’s easy for all of us to forget the power of the tongue. Now the subject of our speech is extremely large. So I decided to narrow it down for you. Today I want to turn your attention to just one of the NT passages on the subject. Please open your Bible with me to Colossians 4:6. “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” I’ve titled today’s message “Your Speech: Is It Healthy?” Shall we pray? |