"The Tongue"

    How many think about the language they use on a daily basis? Do we give it any thought or do we just speak in such a natural way that our language is just us? The Lord is concerned about they way we speak and the control of our tongues. James speaks that "the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body." (Jam. 3:6) Jesus spoke that the "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." (Matt. 12:34) Our speech reveals the condition of the heart. Our speech tells what our heart loves the most. Paul spoke to the Ephesians that there should be "no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth." (Eph. 4:29) There are things that can be spoken that aren't fitting for saints. (Eph. 5:4)

  I once spoke about euphemisms that people use. A euphemism is the use of a word that is less expressive or not as offensive as the original word. When I finished, one individual got upset and spoke how wrong it was for me to teach such. It didn't take a scholar to know they were guilty of using euphemisms and the message they were sending me was they weren't going to change. What a shame knowing the tongue is what defiles us and is a direct line to our heart.

  Have you ever wonder what words are euphemisms ? Let's look at a few. The word 'gosh' is a euphemism for the name God! Look it up. The word 'golly' is also a euphemism for God. The word 'gee' is a euphemism for Jesus. People use these words all the time not realizing what they are saying. Some use the term 'crap' which is defined as vulgar slang. Can you imagine vulgar slang coming from our hearts? Many words used today are just thrown out without any thought of what they mean.

  We need to be storing the good things in our heart, good treasures. We need to give our speech up to the Lord which means we must change our hearts. "With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren,  these things ought not be this way." (Jam. 3:9-10)