By Billie Duty
I said, "I will guard my ways, lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked are before me." (Psalm 39:1)
Psalm 39 reminds me of what is written in the book of James:
We need to be: "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." (James 1:19;20)
We must learn to control our tongue. What we say can cause much hurt to others. We can never take back what we say.
James warns us of the tongue:
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things.
If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body.
Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.
See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. (James 3:1-12)
We are told to be careful of what comes out of our mouths!!!
The Psalmist knew his life was not long and that He needed to include the Lord in his life plans.
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor…Lord, what do I wait for: My hope is in You. (Ps. 39:5c,7)
James agreed: “Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:13-17)
We must bridle our tongues and use our time wisely!!!