Quote
"The tongue is a double edged sword that can wound both the speaker and the listener"
MJ Flack

Scriptural Reference:
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21

"For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech."
1 Peter 3:10

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."
Ephesians 4:29

"The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit."
Proverbs 15:4

"The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil"
Proverbs 15:28

"Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."
Proverbs 17:9

Reflection:
Your words can do more than just voice your opinion or objections, likes or dislikes. The Bible teaches us that both death and life are in the power of the tongue. Considered the smallest of the bodies members yet the most powerful, the tongue is compared to a double edged sword. So in Proverbs 18:21 we are told we will eat of the fruits of our speech we are not being pleseantly complimented. We are being warned that if our words are deciebtful or cruel they will create evil and cruel fruit for us; similar to the saying what we sow we will reap. There is also a common saying, 'you'll eat your words' where we are reminded of this connection between what is said and what we experience.

What we, as Christians, need to keep in mind is that our words have a power to heal or to hurt. Those same idle words can have an impact on our witness. How often we portray ourselves as Sunday Christians and fail by causually saying something that undermines our sharing of the Gospel. It doesn't take much to do damage. As an example we may say we are tolerant of others, yet in a heated discussion with someone after feeling in some way hurt we blurt out how we just hate the way

As we associate with others we are in need of making sure we are surrounded by those who agree with our Christian faith. Those whose words use words to help and heal others. While avoiding those who carelessly use words in ways that cause pain and indifference.

 

Prayer:

Amen