Power of the Tongue

"The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook." -Proverbs 18:4

Out of the 24 verses in Proverbs 18, this one stuck out to me the most. What picture do you get from these words? I can imagine sitting beside that "bubbling brook", completely calm and refreshed by the sound of gentle, rushing water. Do you realize that your words can have the same effect on someone?

Proverbs is richly packed with verses about the power of speech. To put those verses simply: wise words bring healing, foolish words bring to ruin those who hear.

Take a look at a few verses out of James 3:

"...No one can tame the tongue; It is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh." (8-12)

The verses above could not be more clear. More than anything, I'm realizing the power that the tongue has in regards to those who I'm with the majority of the time (i.e the church body)... There are two messages that I have the capacity to send with the words that come out of my mouth: 1) I love you and I want to encourage you or 2) I really don't care about you that much, and right now, I only want to say something that makes me feel good, and look good.

What do my words say? What about you? Are you speaking words that are unwholesome, or are they "good for edification, according to the need of the moment", giving grace to those who hear? (Eph. 4:29)