Talk. The world is full of talk. People talk about everything and anything, don’t they? From what they’re doing to what everyone else is doing, the world is full of chatter. But sometimes, I think, the world just needs to be quiet. What’s that saying? Oh yeah, ‘loose lips sink ships’.
The problem is that for all the chatter going on, a lot of it is pointless. People talk just to hear themselves, or to fill up the empty spaces in their lives, without giving much thought to what they’re actually saying. That can be a problem.
Let’s take David for example. The man talked…a lot. The entire book of Psalms is just one large conversation for him. But you see David didn’t just talk to talk. He didn’t just spout off every random thought, opinion or diatribe stirring around in his brain. No, when David spoke, he pretty much had a point in doing so.
Here’s the gist of what I’m saying…our mouth’s can get us in deep trouble.
Personally, I do struggle with putting my foot in my mouth. I tend to not take the time to chew on a thought before spitting it out through my lips. And believe me it’s gotten me into deep trouble at times.
Our lips are tied to our thoughts. And our thoughts are tied to our hearts. And our hearts are tied to our relationship with God.
David said it like this… “Though you (God) probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” (Psalm 17:3)
Did you know that we can sin with our mouths?
It’s true. Lies, gossip, backbiting, hate, anger, etc…are all products of those ‘loose lips’ I spoke about earlier. Why? Because what we speak is always a reflection of what’s in our hearts. Who we are deep inside, the core of our being, will eventually spill out in the form of talk.
Now, David wasn’t without sin. But his relationship with God was marked with constant repentance and seeking forgiveness with God. That’s why he had such an awesome, close relationship with God. David knew he was a sinner, with a propensity to sin, and so, he resolved – made a firm decision – not to allow his heart to wander from God so that his thoughts wouldn’t cause his mouth to sin.
It’s a choice.
For me, that means that before I say a word about anything, I need to first run it by God. I have to ask God if what I’m about to say is going to be a blessing, or a curse. I have to carefully weigh my urge to thoughtlessly chatter against the possibility of my mouth leading me into sin.
I want to be like David. Because when the push came to shove, he made a decision – HE RESOLVED – that no matter what he said he would not sin with his mouth.
So I say, mouth, it’s time to shut up.