The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.–Ecc. 10:12
Did you hear about the woman who was arrested for causing an accident while talking on her cell phone? She was given a ticket for DWI—driving while intalksicated! OK, I’ll admit it, that’s corny! But, here’s something else that’s not so funny–we often cause a lot of problems and hurt a lot of people by the words we speak. Remember the old saying,”Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me!”? Well, that’s a lie. Words can hurt us deeply. Far too often we say things that hurt others, and ultimately hurts us. And, God holds us accountable for our thoughts, words and actions. We best be careful.
That being the case, we need to think before we speak. We need to consider the truthfulness of what we say, the thought that prompted it, the tone of our voice, and the trouble it might cause. Our Christian testimony is at stake.
The Bible says,”Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.”(Col. 4:6). It would do you good to spend several hours studying this verse and others directly related to it, wringing out every drop of truth possible, considering the meaning of every word, and prayerfully examining your life in its light. Notice the word “alway”–it means exactly what it says, whether in private or public, whether at work or at play, whether with friend or foe. It speaks of our manner of life regardless of circumstances.
O what a difference it would make in our lives, and that of others, if we would just practice this one simple command. Sadly too many of us get out of control and say things we shouldn’t, doing irreparable damage. We hurt others, lose their respect, destroy our testimony, and invite God to take corrective measures. Solomon said,”A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”(Proverbs 25:11). In other words it is something beautiful, as opposed to the ugliness of improper speech. If you want to make a lasting good impression,”Let your speech be always with grace–“. You will be remembered for the right reason.
