TONGUE: Your tongue has the power of life and death - James 3:9

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on. James 3:5-11a MSG

Wisdom & Truth: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21; "Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Colossians 4:6; "The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words." Proverbs 15:28; "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34; "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37

Prayer & Praise
I know, Lord Jesus, how much harm and pain my words have done to people's lives. Please forgive me, Lord, for my callousness and carelessness. I remember the times I was emotionally hurt by the reckless and vulgar words family members or people in the marketplace have said to me. Holy Spirit, please fill my heart with the patience and peace of Christ. Help me learn to control my tongue by remaining calm and composed when others are vulgar or offensive. Remind me to pause and think before I speak so I can avoid being a reactionary hothead and instead reflect Christ's character by responding with gracious words. I pray in His mighty name. Amen.