Day 195 - Proverbs 9-11

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 195 - Proverbs 9-11 (The Tongue: An Instrument of Good or Evil)
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         ^"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, 
        But he who restrains his lips is wise. 
        The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; 
        The heart of the wicked is worth little. 
        The lips of the righteous feed many, 
        But fools die for lack of wisdom."

        (Proverbs 10:19-21)

The tongue is the only part of the human body that has power to either destroy or build up another.  Obviously, the tongue in itself is simply an instrument for producing sound; it is the words and the tone of speaking that determine the harm or good that the tongue will affect.

No wonder Solomon wrote in our text above that ^"In the multitude of words sin is not lacking."  The more words that come out of our tongue, the more risk of us falling into various kinds of sins including lying, gossip, slander, cursing, self-promotion or pride, insult and many other sins.  The less words that we speak, the less we risk committing the above sins and therefore, we are more wise.

Just as the tongue "is a fire, a world of iniquity...and is set on fire by hell (James 3:6)," it can also be "choice silver" that could feed many with the food of the soul such as encouragement, love, wisdom, knowledge, instruction, hope and faith to name a few.

The power of the tongue is evident in creation itself.  The very first chapter of the Bible records God speaking and life comes into being.  God spoke, "Let there be light" and there was light.  God said, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." and man became a living being.

How will you use that small instrument in your mouth; will you use it for good or for evil?  A word of encouragement: when you find yourself using your tongue for evil, ask God's forgiveness and also ask the forgiveness of the person you offended.  God is always willing to forgive as often as we fail when we truly repent.  Make every effort to use your tongue to encourage and build up others.