August 17

Guard the tongue

“Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips”(Psa. 141:3).
“The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment” (Psa. 37:30).

Give not thy tongue too great liberty, lest it take thee prisoner. A word unspoken is like the sword in the scabbard, thine; if vented, thy sword is in another’s hand. If thou desire to be held wise, be so wise as to hold thy tongue.

RECIPE FOR GOSSIP
Take a grain of falsehood, a handful of runabout, a sprig of herb of backbite, a teaspoonful of don’t you tell it, six drachms of malice, and a few drops of envy. Stir well, and let simmer for an hour. Add a little discontent and jealousy, then strain through a bag of misconstruction. Cork it in a bottle of malevolence and hang it on a skein of street yarn. Shake it occasionally for a few days and it will be ready for use. Take a few drops before going out a walk, and you will succeed.


I pray every morning that He will keep me from evil-speaking through the day, and yesterday the Spirit’s prompting stopped me short from telling something which while strictly true, and not unkind, was still unnecessary. When one comes to think of it, there is no sin so universal as that of evil-speaking—and this among good people as well as bad. By God’s grace I’ll be one Christian who will obey His will. It seems the highest resolve I have ever made, but there is power in my Savior to enable me to live up to it.
—Elizabeth S. Brengle.

If any man . . . bridleth not his tongue . . . this man’s religion is vain. . . .
The tongue is a little member,
And boasteth great things.
Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity:
So is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body,
And setteth on fire the course of nature;
And it is set on fire of hell.
But the tongue can no man tame;
It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father;
And therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not so to be (James 1:26, 3:5, 6, 8-10).

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