God is our Protector!

September 9, 2010

Does this make me look fat? Whose side are you on anyway? He said, she said. Can you repeat what I just said? Did you hear the latest gossip? What did you just say? I’ll wash your mouth out with soap for that. Where did you learn that? Insert foot in mouth. Oh, you’re not pregnant?

Have you ever said something you wished you hadn’t? Has your tongue ever gotten you in trouble?

Our tongues can be machines of war. They can be as violent as bullets shooting straight through the heart. A tongue can utter words that should never be said, yet can never be taken back.

This Sunday we talked about how our tongues can do major damage to ourselves and others. Our pastor quoted Chuck Swindoll saying that, “a tongue is a two ounce slab of trouble.” What a great summation!

Thankfully, we have protection from that “two ounce slab of trouble.” Our protection is found in God.

God is our Protector!

Psalm 12
Quick, GOD, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down,
All the friends I depended on gone.
Everyone talks in lie language;
Lies slide off their oily lips.
They doubletalk with forked tongues.

Slice their lips off their faces! Pull
The braggart tongues from their mouths!
I'm tired of hearing, "We can talk anyone into anything!
Our lips manage the world."

Into the hovels of the poor,
Into the dark streets where the homeless groan, God speaks:
"I've had enough; I'm on my way
To heal the ache in the heart of the wretched."

God's words are pure words,
Pure silver words refined seven times
In the fires of his word-kiln,
Pure on earth as well as in heaven.
God, keep us safe from their lies,
From the wicked who stalk us with lies,
From the wicked who collect honors
For their wonderful lies. (The Message)

David was crying out for help among slanderers and liars and cheaters and evil doers. He knew the power of the tongue.

Yet, the tongue also has positive power. Power to build trust and encourage and affirm and love. Most importantly, the tongue can share God’s Word. And God’s Word is “pure silver words refined several times.”

So, we can choose today how we use our tongues—for negative or positive. How will you choose to use your “two ounce slab” today?