Week 17, Day 2: Be Careful Little Tongue…
Today’s Reading: Matthew 13:1-14:36
Some thoughts from yesterday’s reading…
James, in his epistle, warns us about the use of our tongues. He tells us that the tongue is one of the hardest parts of the body to control (James 3:1-12). In Matthew chapter 12, Jesus also addresses the use of the tongue. Considering the difficulty that James relates to us, the words of Jesus should cause us to be very cautious with our tongues. In Matthew 12:33-37, Jesus told the Pharisees that a person is made known by the way that he speaks. What comes from our mouths is the product of our hearts. We reveal our true selves by the things that we say, and the way that we say them. Jesus told the Pharisees that if they were evil, they could not speak good, and the opposite is true as well. If we are truly righteous, how could we use our tongue for evil? The good man brings forth the good things in his heart through the words that he uses. The evil man brings forth the evil that is in his heart through the words that he uses.
The most thought provoking part of Jesus’ instructions comes in verse 36, where He tells us that we will be judged by every idle word that we speak. That should make us seriously consider how often we are flippant or careless with our tongues. How often do we say things that are not reflective of righteousness, but rather of evil that is truly in our hearts? How often are we careless in the way that we talk with or about others? How often are our tongues used to express empty words, profanity, euphemisms or other language that is not indicative of righteousness? James was certainly right about how difficult it is to control the tongue!
Jesus went on in verse 37 to remind us that our judgment will be based on what comes out of our mouths. Of course, actions will also be a part of our judgment, but the emphasis in this passage is on the use of the tongue. Jesus said that we will be justified by our words, or condemned by our words. If we are going to be judged based on what comes out of our mouths, how can we not be more careful about the use of our tongues? Let us keep this concept in the front of our minds, so that we will work even more diligently to expel the evil communication from our lives. We want to be able to stand before God in the day of judgment with confidence that He will say, “Well done good and faithful servant.”
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