“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14, ESV)
“My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.” (Psalms 49:3, ESV)
Even when we think about our words, and how to use them in a godly manner, we need to dig deeper. We need to go beneath the surface and consider “the meditation of our hearts.” There is a thing called “Christian Swearing” that simply substitutes “clean and safe” words for the vile words of the world, but is that any different than using the vile ones? The reactions from the heart are identical!
The meditations of our hearts overflow into our speech. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45, ESV, emphasis mine). The words may be different from the world’s, but the sentiment is the same.
I’m not pointing fingers (except at myself!), I am guilty, too. I say things like, “Dang it all to heck!” and “Male offspring of a Y-chromosomal deficient canid!” (Yes, I know I’m a nerd.).
Jesus put it this way, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.” (Matthew 23:25-26, ESV). And, in Matthew 5 He points out that external conformity to a set of rules is insufficient; there must be heart change.
I guess, what I’m trying to say is this: even if we could completely clean up the words that proceed from our mouths, if we haven’t allowed Christ to change who we are at the deepest level, the words we use mean nothing.
Yes, change the words you use. Absolutely. But mindfully consider the state of the heart behind them. Our words can bring life and healing to others, but only if they come from hearts that are overflowing with life and healing.
Blessings on your day!
Image by silviarita from Pixabay
Skipping Stones 
Leave a Reply