The Tongue's Tale

Day Thirty-One

The Tongue's Tale (Read Proverbs 12:1-14)

"A person's tongue can give you the taste of his heart." ~ Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya

Chapter 12 of Proverbs explores the intricate relationship between wickedness and righteousness through the lens of speech and actions. The wisdom we gain teaches us how embracing correction and cultivating a teachable spirit can transform our moral choices, leading to a deeper understanding of virtue and ethics for our lives, one day at a time.

When I started my journey stumbling forward to follow Jesus, two major character flaws stood out. First, I had a poddy mouth, and next, I rebelled against authority; I wasn't very teachable. You could quickly tell how broken and lost I was by the fruit I bore as Jesus said, "You can't a tree by its fruit" (Luke 6:43-44a). When someone tells you you are rotten, they refer to the fruit you bear.

We are a product of our environment, and I grew up on the streets. On the streets, it was customary to use profane and vulgar language. It was also the custom to rebel against authority and stand-alone despite how broken and lost we were. My dirty mouth couldn't help itself, and my limited vocabulary came under fire when I surrendered and surrounded myself with new people, places, and things.

A wise woman told me, "You have the most beautiful things to share, but they are all tainted when you include profanity and vulgarity." She was correct; my language didn't change overnight, but gradually, it did, despite myself. My mentor, Tom, was direct, "Profane and vulgar language impress no one, so clean it up." I said, "Yes sir," and I did, by the love of God. Any reference to God Almighty should never include profane and vulgar language; it's self-defeating and repulsive to God (Exodus 20:7).

12 To learn, you must love discipline;
    it is stupid to hate correction.

² The Lord approves of those who are good,
    but he condemns those who plan wickedness.

³ Wickedness never brings stability,
    but the godly have deep roots.

"Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty...acknowledging our littleness, distrusting our thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours." ~ J. I. Packer

Wisdom teaches only the teachable, for an unwilling mind in an unteachable mind. Are you teachable? Is your life under wise counsel, or are you attempting to manage your own life? Have you asked God for the willingness to change so you can become the person he created you to be? Remember, "No pain, no gain!"

Does your language honor God? Do you use certain words and language around one group of people and then lower your standards around another? Why the double standard? You can attempt to hide your tongue from certain groups of people, but God sees everything, especially your heart. The seasoning of the tongue reveals the heart: garbage in and garbage out.

You are an ambassador for God; take it seriously. Your primary responsibility is to demonstrate a Spirit-centered life attractively and adequately.

May God bless your hearing, understanding, and application of today's wisdom.