The right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl. Proverbs 25:11 (NCV)
I am so excited to have been asked to share a message with some young girls and mothers today. It is part of the summer small group meetings that our church is doing. I don’t do a lot of teaching to children – formally, I mean. In the last 10 years, God has really been pointing out to me how important it is for me to open my eyes for opportunities that He offers for me to share with my own grandchildren and the children around me. I found out quickly that things I might share – will surely convict me, too!
This passage from Proverbs is one that I will share with the children. Have you ever looked in a concordance or thought about how often from Old Testament to New that there is some warning about the power of our words? Have you ever had words seemingly “fly out†of your mouth and wished immediately that you could call them back? Oh, yes. The very real problem is that once you have spoken those words, there is no way to call them back. You can apologize but it won’t erase the words.
I absolutely have a choice to speak or not speak the words that come out of my mouth. I begin that choice by what I put inside me. Jesus says that my words are the overflow of what is in my heart (Luke 6:45). Do I choose to take in what is true, pure, of excellence (noble), lovely, admirable and worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8)? If instead I take in what is of little worth or dirty, then the dirt will flow out of me, somewhere and sometime!
Example #1: There’s a new movie out now, Magic Mike. If I say that I am going to that movie because it tells a great story of a man who “does what he has to do†to make a living, I submit there are other movies that do not involve male strippers that tell that story. So I am choosing not to see that movie.
Example #2: I walk down the hallway on my way to Sunday School and there are a couple of friends “sharing†about why someone hasn’t been seen at church lately. “She moved in with ______ and I guess she feels guilty about it!†I choose to keep on walking and ask the Holy Spirit to wash me of that gossip.
For me, both of those examples can put into me “stuff†that can infect the goodness that God wants to grow inside of me. The #1 example is just a no-brainer for me and can give me an arrogance that I wouldn’t do that! Whereas #2 can be more subtle – but no less disgusting in what infects me!
As I put on my lipstick to go to this small group meeting, I am going to think about if my mouth is really beautiful. Does the lipstick just cover up a mouth that whines, yells, refuses to forgive, and tears people down? Or does the color draw the eyes to someone who praise, encourages, speaks the truth, and knows when to stay shut?
Thank you to my friend, author Kimberly Gordon, who shared through her book, It’s In The Bag, what God had said to her about having a beautiful, Godly mouth.
