Tongue

What Are You Talking About?

[483 words] So, what are the last words you say when you are leaving others? I find myself often ending a phone conversation with family members by saying, “Goodbye, I love you.” Those words are not just meaningless words, but are intended to remind those who are so precious to me that I cherish them.…

Don’t Say Anything If…

[152 words] 1. You are in the heat of anger (Proverbs 14:17).2. You don’t have all the facts (Proverbs 18:13).3. You haven’t verified the story (Deuteronomy 17:6).4. Your words will cause the weak to stumble (1 Corinthians 8:11).5. You are joking about sin (Proverbs 14:9).6. You would later be ashamed of what you said (Proverbs…

No Value in Profanity

[310 words] Horace Porter, a lieutenant colonel and personal secretary to General Ulysses Grant during the American Civil War, wrote about a conversation he had with the famous general one evening while they were sitting by a campfire. Porter commented, “General, it seems singular that you should have gone through all the rough and tumble…

You Sure Are Mean to Those That Love You

[350 words] Madge Wallace hated Harry Truman. Well, it was said she didn’t care much for anyone in Independence, Missouri but she seemed to really have it in for Harry. To her, he was just a “filthy farm boy.” Early on, she might have a point. Harry lost his family farm and failed at two…

Henry Ford and Idle Words

[271 words] Ever say something you wish you hadn’t? Henry Ford did. In a 1916 interview with the Chicago Tribune, the American motor vehicle pioneer said, “What do we care about what they did 500 or 1,000 years ago? I don’t know whether Napoleon did or did not try to get across and I don’t…

The Danger of Desensitization

[117 words] It’s a real danger for Christians to become so desensitized by the entertainment we consume or the causes we support that we revert back to talking as if we never were born again. Maybe some rationalize their crude language, saying, “I only say these words when I’m really upset;” “But the cause is…

The Haste of the Hermandads

[438 words] In the 1100s, in an effort to protect travelers going from northern Spain over the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Dogs of God, Reston, 50), a military force known as the hermandads (“the brotherhood”) was organized. Soon, these vigilantes spread across Spain and offered themselves as protectors of roads and merchants.…

Honey, or Venom?

[388 words] Honey has a very sweet, pleasant taste. It can be eaten by itself. It can also be used to sweeten other foods. Some believe that there are some healing benefits to honey as well. Most people would welcome having a jar of honey in the house. Venom? Well, venom is poison. When I…

I Said Nothing

[388 words] Robert Benchly once remarked, “Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing.” No matter how great your vocabulary may be, sometimes, the right thing to say is nothing. First, if you cannot speak with purity, the best thing that you can say, no matter how large your vocabulary may be, is…

He That Blasphemeth the Name of the Lord

[503 words] “And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of lsrael strove together in the camp;And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto…

Ponder Before You Post

[527 words] It’s happened again. It happens all too frequently. I’ve been online, and I’m wondering if anybody “out there” cares anything at all about basic morality and decency. I’m questioning whether those who say they believe in God really do. I’m wondering if there really is any difference between those who wear the name…

The Wolf Of Wall Street

[344 words] On December 25, 2013, The Wolf of Wall Street hit the big screens. As soon as it came out it set a record. This movie sets the mark for the most uses of the “f-word” ever in a U.S. feature film (USA Today). This movie uses this word a sickening 506 times! Seeing…

We Ought to Know How to Answer Every Man!

[148 words] Children of God should know what they believe and why they believe it. Further more, they should be able to relate their convictions to others. In Colossians 4:6 are these thought provoking words from Paul, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to…

What Your Tongue Says

  [492 words] You know that every human being has a unique fingerprint, but did you realize that each person also has his or her own unique tongue print? According to published reports, scientists have discovered that just as no two people have the same fingerprint, so each one of us can–theoretically–also be identified by…

The Right Words at the Right Time

  [277 words] I recently read about an interesting series of questions to ask yourself before saying anything to another person. The idea is to make sure that you speak properly at the proper time. The three questions to ask are: Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me?…

Foul Language Is Foul

  [312 words] I recently watched a nationally televised athletic event where literally millions of people viewed the same game. During the game, the main camera showed one of the coaches being very upset and using verbally abusive foul language regarding calls made by the officials! What I observed disturbed me. Then I realized how…

Words

  [134 words] Dr. Willard Funk, the well-known dictionary publisher, was asked to select the ten most expressive words in the English language. The following is his list: The bitterest word: alone The most tragic word: death The most revered word: mother The most beautiful word: love The cruelest word: revenge The most peaceful word:…

Little, But Powerful

  [284 words] The news seems to be filled with people whose tongues are out of control. Bad language and hurtful words are the rule of the day. God’s people must refrain from joining in, because he tells us about the power of that little member of the body.  A rider is able to control…

Is Our Attitude Worth Catching?

  [279 words] During my first public job as a teenager, I demonstrated more immaturity than I care to talk about. I was trying to be funny in front of a customer. I wanted to be an “attention getter” with my comments, she stopped writing her check looked at me and said, “Allen, you can…

Words

[304 words] There are many ways we use our words each day. In a recent study researchers found that on average, women speak 16,215 words per day and men speak 15,669 words per day. Some people use very few words and some people seem to never stop talking, even to talking in their sleep. By…

Unique Expressions

[483 words] “And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before” (Gen. 31:2). Jacob could tell by the look on Laban’s face that he was not happy with him. The expression on our face may say more than we realize. God made us social creatures who communicate not…

Dealing with a ‘Short Fuse’

[295 words] The apostle Paul reminds us that “no temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man” (1 Cor. 10:13). That certainly applies to the danger of expressing wrath and anger! Anger in itself is not sinful (Eph. 4:26), but how we express it can be! Even Jesus was angry (Mark 3:5),…

‘OMG’

[481 words] “Oh my God!” Hardly a day goes by that we do not hear someone exclaim it. You hear it at work or school, at the bank or the supermarket, and sometimes even on the church parking lot. Television, no doubt, is the chief offender, with nearly every game show, soap opera, situation comedy,…

What is Flowing from Your Heart?

  [229 words] “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). God is the “God of hope” and fills us with joy and peace, but something is required of us. …

Be Careful What You Say

Whoever said, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me” must have been deaf. Most of us know the lasting pain that comes from a cutting criticism or a personal attack. James 3:5 compares the hurt of the tongue to a fire that can destroy a forest. Certainly not all…

Is Your Tongue Tamed?

[222 words] “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). When angry men from another tribe confronted Gideon about why he hadn’t waited for them for judgment on enemy leaders, he replied, “What have I accomplished compared to you?” In minimizing his own role and exalting theirs, Gideon…

Christian, Be Quiet

I don’t know that I have ever heard a sermon on the need for quiet. Yet, the Bible teaches that God will “quiet you by his love” (Zeph. 3:17). Peter lauds the need  for a quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight” (1 Peter 3:4). Habakkuk instructs all people “…the Lord is in…