Good morning people who put a tight guard over the words that you speak.

Yesterday, we looked at the number of words that we speak. Today, let’s look at the content of our words.

Proverbs 10:32 MEV The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked speaks what is perverse.

Our words are so important, and yet too often, they can be careless. Let’s allow God’s Word to highlight some important truths about our words.

James 3:8-10 MEV But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

James highlights the use of the tongue to bless God and then to curse people. He’s not speaking about people who never “worship God”, but rather, he is highlighting the evil of using our tongue for mixture. This is speaking about impurity of speech, one moment saying something wonderful and then the next moment saying something cutting and hurtful. This is perverse speech.

Ephesians 4:29-30 MEV Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, that it may give grace to the listeners. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you are sealed for the day of redemption.

Paul addresses some believers who use the tongue to pull people down, and he calls this unwholesome. By contrast, Paul says our words should build people up in such a way that it releases the grace of God to the people who hear it. Did you hear that? Grace should be released by our words!

I don’t think it’s by accident that Paul’s very next words were to instruct us to not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. The context of his previous statement is our words! Remember, Jesus is the Living Word, and as such, He desires us to release life to others through our words.  

May our words be acceptable to God and edifying to people.