257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105
(262) 763-3021
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Grace Church of Burlington
June 22, 2008
“The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail more than his tongue.”
Have you opened your mouth recently and wished you’d just kept it closed? Does it help to know that you’re not alone? Recently, several celebrity types made comments they’d like stricken from the record.
There was Hillary Clinton's alarming comparison. Senator Clinton, in an attempt to argue that the battle for the Democratic nomination was far from over, made an unfortunate comparison to the 1968 race in which Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Her "Hey, you never know..."comment outraged Obama supporters who criticized her poor choice of words. The former 1st Lady later apologized but it didn't stop folks from buzzing about it.
Sharon Stone didn’t exactly win friends in China. While on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, Sharon Stone made one of those comments that was both insensitive and just plain dumb. When she was asked about the recent Chinese earthquake that killed thousands of people, she suggested it might be karma for China's treatment of Tibet. Not surprisingly, China took offense at the insinuation. Sharon Stone apologized so fast, it could make your head spin. Unfortunately, the apology was a bit too late. Christian Dior had already dropped her as a spokesmodel. Some might say that's karma.
Get your facts straight, then speak. Recently, an Australian sports commentator jumped to conclusions and slammed a disabled doorman. Greg Stacey was on the door at Brisbane's Caxton Hotel when he was interviewed by a reporter. What the reporter didn’t know was that Greg Stacey has benign epilepsy and as a result, suffers from slurred speech and learning difficulties. After Stacey was interviewed, the show cut to famous Australian sports commentator, Paul "Fatty" Vautin, who on the air accused the disabled man of drinking on the job and of being drunk. The station later issued an on-air apology but Stacey’s outraged father said the family may consider legal action. Greg Stacey has been working for the past 12 months after refusing to stay on disability benefits yet almost lost his job over the false accusation. The station said, “We did not know he was handicapped and it would never have gone to air if we'd known. We are guilty of assumption but it's an unwitting mistake.” Oops!
When God created us, He gave us two eyes, two ears, two nostrils but only one mouth which contains one big fish; the tongue. Our eyes, ears and nostrils help make us aware of our surroundings. They’re what we utilize to observe our world. Our tongue is what we use to comment on those surroundings. Could it be that God wants us, by design, to observe twice as much as we speak?
God has given us the power of the spoken word. But too many Christians are either constantly embarrassed or worse, enslaved by their own tongues. Their mouths are continually getting them in trouble. Remember the Bible clearly teaches a principle of sowing and reaping. If you sow corn, you’ll reap corn. If you sow black-eyed peas, you’ll reap black-eyed peas. If you sow words of destruction, you will reap destruction and if you sow words of life, you will reap life.
There is great power in the spoken word. It’s your tongue that shapes your character. There are some Christian people who are always negative and have nothing positive to say. Their demeanor, or the way they carry themselves, reflects this. Friend, if you talk negatively, you’ll get negative results because your words create a negative environment, which in turn will produce negative results. Wonderfully, the opposite is true as well. No wonder Solomon wrote, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21).
Let me challenge you to do an important experiment. All of us need some accountability, particularly when it comes to our tongues. For the next 48 hours, determine within yourself that you will speak only edifying, positive and hopeful things about your job, your children, your spouse, your health, your future, anything and everything that effects your life. It may be difficult at first, but see what type of results you get.
Our tongues are windows into our souls and reflect our true character. Your words will reveal the real you. James again addresses this issue for those who consider themselves “religious.” He writes, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (James 1:26). It’s interesting that the word for religious in the Greek actually translates as “fearing and worshiping God”. James is simply saying that if you claim to fear and worship God but don’t control your tongue, you’re kidding yourself and your worship is worthless.
All of us have been hurt by a loose tongue yet we’ve also been blessed and encouraged by a Spirit controlled one. Let’s make certain that these powerful tools within our heads are used to serve the Lord and for His glory.