What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.Psalms 34-12-13
Napoleon Bonaparte's defeat two centuries ago was attributed to the harsh Russian winter.The problem was, the horseshoes nailed to the legs of his horses were that of summer and not suited for winter. When winter came, the horses died because they slipped on icy roads as they pulled the military supply wagons. The supply chain failure reduced Napoleons strong army to just 10,000. A small slip resulted in a disaster.
Likewise,James described as to how a slip of the tongue can do great damage. One wrong word can change the careers or destinies of us. So unsafe is the tongue that James wrote, “No man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8). The problem has increased in our modern world as a careless word through email or a posting on a social media site can cause great harm. It quickly goes viral and can’t always be retracted.
King David tied respect for the Lord with the way we use our words. He wrote, “I will teach you the fear of the Lord. . .Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies”.He resolved, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a guard on my mouth” 39:1).
Let us also ask, Lord, help us to do the same.
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