Should I change the way I talk?

It’s interesting to see what Proverbs says about “the power of the tongue.” If you look closely, it doesn’t say, “Your mouth will always get you in trouble.” Instead, it says you have the ability to control your tongue, and based on what you decide to say determines the type of fruit it will bear.

And that phrase, the type of fruit it will bear simply means this: What you give out will come back to you. If you speak badly of others, you will likely reap the results of that. You’ll not want to be around those people and find yourself thinking about how much you dislike them. But when you take a moment to really stop and think about it, are those words changing the situation? Is it making a positive difference in that relationship? Nope. Simply, you are reaping the fruits of negativity and frustration because those are what you’ve sown.

Take the next week to think about what you’re thinking about and ask yourself these two questions:

1. Are my words reflective of God’s love for me and others?
2. Am I responding to situations and people in the way the Bible encourages me to do it?

It doesn’t take long to see how important words are in your everyday life and in this journey with Jesus. And while we’re on the subject of words, next week we’ll look at a few that may not be as familiar to you with the question: What do righteousness, sanctification, and baptism mean?