Matthew 12:36-37
According to researchers, the average active vocabulary of an adult English speaker is around 20,000 words, while his passive vocabulary is around 40,000 words. Have you ever considered the words you use on a daily basis? Words are the currency of ideas. Words are the vehicles we use to communicate with one another. Words are very important. In Matthew 12:36-37, Jesus warns us about the need to choose our words carefully in life.
These verses follow a conversation that Jesus was having with the Pharisees. He had healed a man who had been possessed by a demonic spirit. The Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by the prince of demons, which was really a blasphemous thing to say. What they didn’t realize is that they were rejecting their only hope of salvation, and their words revealed the condition of their heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What is down in the well always comes up in the bucket!
We must be very careful with the words we use, for we will one day give an account of each one of them when we stand before Christ. Our words can build others up, or they can tear others down. Words reveal our thoughts and the true condition of our heart. Words of complaint reveal lack of inward satisfaction in God. Words of negativity and unjust criticism reveal lack of compassion and faith. Someone has well said, “Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can be only forgiven, not forgotten.” O be careful, little tongue, what you say!
Father, give me grace today to put a guard over my mouth. As I rely upon the power of Your Spirit, may You help me choose my words wisely. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For more, read James 3:1-12
