Reckless words are like a sword. Proverbs 12:18; He who holds his tongue is wise. Proverbs 10:19; May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Psalm 19:14.
One Sunday morning I brought a tube of toothpaste to church. During my message I opened the toothpaste and squeezed all of the toothpaste out of the tube into a bowl. When I was sure I had about all of the toothpaste squeezed out of the tube, I ask for someone to help me.
When my volunteer came forward I asked them to put all of the toothpaste back into the tube. They looked at me and said, “I can’t.” I thanked them for trying and let them return to their seat. Did you know that very same thing is true of the words we speak?
Have you ever said something that hurt someone’s feelings and heard them say, “You take that back!” You can’t take it back, can you? Once you have said it, it is said. You can’t put the words back in your mouth any more than you can squeeze this toothpaste back into the tube. That is why we need to be very careful about the things we say. The Bible says, “He who holds his tongue is wise.”
All of you know the children’s rhyme that says, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names can never hurt me.” That sounds nice, but it just isn’t true. Words can hurt. The Bible says, “Reckless words pierce like a sword.” Our words can cut like a knife. They can hurt others. We all know that God hears every word we say and he knows every thought we have in our mind. It is very important for us to be careful about the things we think and say.
The Bible says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” Once we have said it, we can’t take it back, so let’s make sure that our words are pleasing to God.
– Ed Brouwer is pastor of Sidley Mountain Cowboy Church in Bridesville