Day 9

With the tongue we can encourage people, or discourage people, build them up or tear them down.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”  —PROVERBS 18:21

There is a fable about a king who asked his cook to prepare the best dish in the world, and the cook served him a dish of tongue. So then the king instructed his cook to serve him the worst dish in the world, and again, the cook served him a dish of tongue. The puzzled king asked the cook why he had served tongue as the best and the worst of dishes, to which the cook replied, “Oh King, there is nothing as wonderful as a tongue that is wisely and kindly used, and there is nothing as devastating as a tongue that is carelessly and unkindly used.”

With the tongue we can make others laugh or we can make them cry. With the tongue we can encourage people, or discourage people, build them up or tear them down. With our words we can refresh people or intimidate them, and we can uplift people or condemn them. With our words we can build good marriages or destroy marriages, develop good friendships or break friendships. Words are powerful!

See what God says to us about the tongue and our words in James 3:3–10: “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” 

We have been given an amazing power for good or evil in the words we use.  Let’s ensure our words are good, that they build up, and bring warmth and encouragement to other people.