The Words of My Mouth

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." -Psalms 19:14

I woke up this morning feeling like a provoked bear. An issue that has consumed my thoughts and emotions for weeks weighs heavily on my heart and mind today; for, today is the day I must be ready to face this issue head-on.

I have examined this issue in light of the Bible, so I know that my stance is correct. Yet, as I must face and confront this problem, I STILL also must fight my sin nature.

Worry has not been the core sin problem for me, though. More like speaking out in anger. It's not wrong to be angry, of course. But how you behave when you're angry is another issue altogether (cf. John 2:13-17, Eph. 4:26). No, I don't tend to kick the dog or anything, but I do have a hard time not saying something fleshly.

That's where the first four verses of this morning's Proverb really hit me between the eyes this morning...

"1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. 2The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. 3The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. 4A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit." -Proverbs 15:1-4

I have no idea the actual statistic, but the Bible points out time and again the issue of discretionary speech. The margin notes and the Holy Spirit led me to a few cross references for this passage that I'd like to share here, with minimal commentary from me (because the Bible can certainly speak for itself).

Cross reference v. 2 with:

• Psalms 145:2-7 (Who are we praising when we speak--ourselves or our Savior? See also Prov. 18:2.)

Cross reference v. 4 with:

• Proverbs 4:20-27 (See also Matt. 12:34-36, 2 Pet. 1:2-9. Cross ref. verse 34 of Matthew with Phil. 4:8. Cross ref. verse 9 of 2 Peter with Gal. 4:3-9.)

I was overwhelmed by the amount of verses God led me to this morning. (The references were from HIM. I am NOT that smart, folks!) An important question came to my mind, as I examined my heart over this issue: Do I delight in airing my own opinions or in speaking the Word of Truth?

I share these passages with you to encourage you to examine your speech, particularly when you're dealing with a fretful situation.

May God be my strength today, as the Psalmist says, to help me say the right things.
-Mrs. D