“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 10:11).

Our words will either be a fountain of life or a fountain of poison. Fountains of life are contented, people. Fountains of poison only come from uncontented hearts.

We conclude our brief look at some of the hundreds of verses related to our words as a “tongue-check”.

–Do We Try to Evade Responsibility for Our Words?
     “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks…. And I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified and by your words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:34b, 36-37).
     “As a madman who casts firebrands and deadly arrows, so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, ‘I was only kidding'” (Proverbs 26:18-19).

–Do We Gossip or Discredit People?
     “You shall not go up and down as a talebearer among your people” (Leviticus 19:16).
     “Who shall dwell with the Almighty?… He who slanders not with his tongue…nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor” (Psalm 15:3)
     “and they are not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not” (1 Timothy 5:13).

–Do We Use Words to Boast or Flatter Ourselves?
     “I hate pride and arrogance. They are the way of evil and pervert mouth”(Proverbs 8:13).
     “Let another praise you and not your own mouth-a stranger and not your own lips” (Proverbs 27:2).

–Does Our Speech Show Humility?
     “Do nothing through faction or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each count the other as better than himself” (Philippians 2:3).
     “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think….In love of the brethren be tenderly affectionate one to another; in honor preferring one another” (Romans 12:3, 10).

–Do We Speak Carelessly?
     “He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (Proverbs 13:3).
     “Whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life” (Proverbs 10:11).