Careless Talker

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY AND PROTECT YOUR LIFE. A CARELESS TALKER DESTROYS HIMSELF. Proverbs 13.3.

It is a good practise in many churches to have altar calls for prayer. The leader invites members to go forward to be prayed for. My aged mother was fond of going to receive prayer for fresh blessings from God! One Sunday, I remember praying for two youngsters, a boy and a girl. Each asked me to pray specially for family unity and peace.

I emphasised to them the importance of ‘forgiveness’ for unity and peace in the family. Two parties at least are involved in the issue of

‘forgiveness’ - you and the other person or persons. As far as you are concerned, it could be as simple as to “Just forgive”, if you are serious about it! Don’t make it a big deal. Through Christ, God has forgiven whatever wrong you have ever done.

Dear believer, therefore you are obliged to forgive others. Even if you do not want to, you have no choice. Jesus equated 'God forgiving you' to 'your forgiving others!' He taught us in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive others their sins!” He went on to emphasise the imperative need of forgiving others by saying, “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Mt 6.14,15). It is natural that when you have forgiven someone, in due course he may begin to respond. Make sure that you don’t keep irritating the person by giving lectures on ‘your great act of forgiveness!’

I counselled the youngsters: “Once you have forgiven your family, you must be careful how you talk to them and what you say!’ The tongue is the major culprit in causing strife and division. The apostle James calls it a “fire” among the members of the body! He says, “no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (Jas 3.6,8,).

Yes! No natural man can control his tongue. But the spiritual man, the renewed and regenerated man could and should by the Holy Spirit who abides in Him. Once, I attended the wedding of a young man with a chequered past. At the wedding dinner, two members of his family began yarning about his sad past! But they were not careful to observe that the bride’s sisters were also at their table. What problems and family turmoil this unwise wagging of tongue would have caused is anyone’s guess!

You need to be careful of what you say about others. It could destroy them. But as the wise King Solomon said, it could destroy you too! “Be careful what you say and protect your life. A careless talker destroys himself”. No one has ever got into trouble by 'not' telling tales! It is good not to say anything evil about any person! If you have something good to say, say it! If you have nothing good to say, “Shut up!”

The Bible says, “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore” (Psa 133.1,3). Dear child of God, to God it is important that you live in love and harmony with your brother and sister and family members. It is a good testimony before others.

Pray and practise with me: Dear Lord, help me to think before I talk about others. Let me tell only things that contribute to peace. Help me say only things about others that the Lord would approve. Amen.