What's In Your Mouth?

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"I WILL bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Psalm 34:1, Amplified Bible)

I wrote somewhere else early this morning that a mouth filled with praise has less room for criticism (or a foot).

In continuing to ponder that thought, and the verse that inspired it, I have identified a few things to help us be sure that our words are God-honoring.

It begins with choice: I WILL.

It continues with consistency: at all times & continually.

It involves continuity of life: from how we live (bless The Lord at all times) to what we say (his praise continually in my mouth).

It originates in God: HIS praise (not only the praise OF Him, but the praise He inspires).

Question: How might our words be different today if we spoke out of that framework?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

Pleasing God with our Words

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"May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."  (Psalm 19:14, New International Version)

This is a bit of a follow-up from yesterday's thought when we talked about making a decision not to sin with our words.

It is a good thing to choose to avoid sinning. It is an even better thing to intentionally choose to please God. 

You see, we can strain really hard and keep those sinful and hurtful words in check while still having poisonous thoughts running though our minds. But this prayer asks God to change our MINDS and ATTITUDES, not just our WORDS. It also shifts the focus: from avoiding the bad to doing the good.

Question: How will you pray today regarding your thoughts and attitudes as well as your words?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

Choose Your Words

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"I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." (Psalm 17:3)

There it is again: the reality that life is about decisions. 

"I just tell it like it is ... I call it the way I see it ... I just say what's on my mind"

Let me translate that: "I refuse to exercise good judgment when I speak (or post) ... I value my right to speak more than I value my responsibility to speak the right things."

If we were to run our words through THAT filter, I suspect we might choose different words sometimes.

Question: How will you decide today that you will not sin with your words?

Leave a comment below.  I'd love to hear your perspective.

If the well's too deep, you'll still be thirsty

"The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?" (Ecclesiastes 6:11, New Living Translation)

One of my high school buddies was fond of saying, "You filled the air with words, yet you said nothing."

Some of us preacher-types often resemble that remark.

I recently heard a sermon in which the preacher mentioned that he had been accused of not being "deep" in his preaching. He said, "That's because I'm clear."  That makes me think of a water well. No matter how pure the water is, if the well is so deep you can't reach it--you'll still be thirsty.

Whether we are teaching, preaching, or just engaging in conversation--our goal should not be quantity or complexity of words, but clarity and connection. 

Proverbs 15:23 says, "A person finds joy in giving an apt reply--and how good is a timely word!" (Notice it doesn't say a timely speech).

Question: What are some ways that you have discovered to make sure that your words "connect"?

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