If anyone is never at fault in what he says, then he is mature, able to control his whole body. James 3:2

Each of us is known by how we behave, and our behavior is based on what is happening in our hearts. One particular aspect of our behavior, that flows from our hearts is our words.

Face it. It is every Christian’s desire to be content. Many believe they don’t deserve to be (because they have problems accepting God’s forgiveness), others believe it is outside the realm of possibility given their circumstances, yet others are too busy to think about it. Yet for all, contentment is desired.

The reason our tongues are so important to our being content is that our words give us a vivid picture of the state of our hearts… and they show us how much we’ve allowed the Holy Spirit to transform us.

If we holler and rant and rave… it’s because there is a heart problem. If we are cynical and sarcastic, it’s because there is a heart problem. If we are gossips and back stabbers, it’s because there’s a heart problem. Augmentative? Abusive? Accusers? Bullies …Heart problem…

Put another way, our mouths are so revoltingly good at blowing our cover, that if it is holy, it is a good indicator of what our heart’s are like… and if our hearts are holy, then our behavior will be, too. The opposite is also true: If our tongues are not holy, it’s a good indicator that our hearts aren’t either. There are literally hundreds of verses on the topic of our words/mouths in the Bible. I could go on and on for months and never repeat myself.

For that reason, I’m going to include the following summary of what the Bible teaches us about the tongue, so that we can evaluate our hearts. For each question there are a number of verses I could give, but I’ve tried to keep it short.

–Do we Judgmentally or Maliciously Speak Evil of Fellow Believers?
     “Speak not one against another, brethren.” (James 4:11).
     “Who are you to judge the servant of another? Before his own Lord he stands or falls…. But you, why do you judge your brother? (Romans 14:4, 8,9).

–Do we Build Up Fellow Believers with Uplifting Language?
     “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a grievous word stirs up anger… A gentle tongue is a tree of life ” (Proverbs 15:1,4).
     “The tongue is a fire, But the (tongue that speaks) wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits…” (James 3:5-18).

–Do We Keep the Promises that We Make?
     [Who shall dwell with the Lord?] ” Those who keep an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind” (Psalm 15:4).
     When you make a promise to God…fulfill your promise. It is better not to promise than to make a promise and not fulfill it. Why should you make God angry at you for breaking your promise so that he destroys the work of your hands? (Ecclesiastes 5:4-6)
     [In Psalm 50 one of the results of people not fulfilling their promises(v.14) is that God says he will tear them to pieces and there will be none to deliver them (v.22)]
     [Among those who stand condemned by God are promise-breakers (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:3).]

–Do Our Mouths Use Coarse Humor or Foolish Jesting?
     “But uncleanness … let it not even be named among you as becomes saints: nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting” (Ephesians 5:3-4).
     “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29).
     “Put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth” (Colossians 3:8).

More on this next time…