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Today's verse about our speech tells us to keep our tongue from evil. Why and how do we do that? I hope this little video encourages you to look to the Word of God for answers to those questions. Thank you for watching! 
 
In the Word on Wednesday 
 
July 20, 2022 
 
“Keep your tongue from evil 
And your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalm 34:13 
 
When my son was little, we had a Scripture memory CD that had a song for this verse on it. I will spare you from hearing me sing it, especially since I don’t have the copyright permission to do so on a video, but the verse, of course, is now ingrained in my brain. The song, however, either used a different translation or combined the New American Standard and New International Version because it was, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.” Just a subtle synonym but sometimes I think the word “lies” really gives us more of a visceral response when we hear it. No one wants to be a liar or be lied to. 
 
This verse is found in a larger section of Psalm 34 (in verses 11-22) that are David’s instructions on how to live a successful, God-honoring life. He instructs the people to live righteously and shun evil, pointing specifically to our speech and to honesty in this verse. He wants the people to be sincere in everything they do and say and not to speak “out of both sides of their mouth” - similar to James’s statement about blessing and cursing coming from the same mouth. In verse 14 of this Psalm, David tells them to “seek peace and pursue it.” 
 
Some other verses that encourage us to keep our tongue from evil are: 
Psalm 141:3: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; 
Keep watch over the door of my lips.” I love this one because it is part of a prayer of David asking the Lord to keep his tongue from evil. We know that it is only possible with the Lord’s help. 
Also, Proverbs 13:3: 
“The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; 
The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” We see the consequences of both guarding your tongue and speaking evil. 
And finally, we see Christ as our example in I Peter 2:22: 
 “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;” 
 
Why does the Bible advocate this honesty and righteous living? It is NOT so that we may gain salvation. Romans tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The first part of I Peter 3:18 tells us, “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God,” so it is only through the blood of Christ that we are saved, not through our righteous living. But the Bible calls believers to righteous living so that we may please God and for our own good. God knows our lives will be more fruitful, will be more peaceful, will even be happier if we “depart from evil and do good” as it also says in verse 14 of this Psalm. Are there times when people will suffer for doing the right thing? Absolutely! But even then, we can have peace within our hearts knowing that we have done what is right and what pleases the One who gave His life so that we might be redeemed. We can rest, knowing that our souls will never be destroyed no matter what anyone can do to us here on earth. 
 
I hope that this has encouraged you today and that this week you will ask the Lord to set a guard over your mouth so that your words can please and bring honor to Him.

Today's verse about our speech tells us to keep our tongue from evil.  Why and how do we do that?  I hope this little video encourages you to look to the Word of God for answers to those questions.  Thank you for watching!

In the Word on Wednesday

July 20, 2022

“Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.”  Psalm 34:13

When my son was little, we had a Scripture memory CD that had a song for this verse on it.  I will spare you from hearing me sing it, especially since I don’t have the copyright permission to do so on a video, but the verse, of course, is now ingrained in my brain.  The song, however, either used a different translation or combined the New American Standard and New International Version because it was, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”  Just a subtle synonym but sometimes I think the word “lies” really gives us more of a visceral response when we hear it.  No one wants to be a liar or be lied to.

This verse is found in

Psalm 34:13

Today is the first Wednesday of July, and this month we will look at passages that deal with our speech. We begin with Proverbs 12:18. Let's be sure our words bring health and healing to others! 
 
July 6, 2022 
 
In the Word on Wednesday 
 
“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, 
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 
 
There are many verses in the book of Proverbs that talk about our speech. They praise those who speak truthfully and wisely and warn against speaking lies or speaking without thinking. In fact, verses 17-19 of this very Proverb are all about speaking truthfully and wisely. I encourage you to read Proverbs 12:17-19 when you have a chance. 
 
Today, though, let’s just look at verse 18. The first part says, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword.” Other translations say, “the words of the reckless” and “thoughtless words.” How many of us have spoken without thinking and hurt someone terribly? I know I have, and I think it’s safe to say that just about everyone has. We may not intend to hurt someone, but our careless words can pierce someone through to the heart. 
 
Conversely, “the tongue of the wise brings healing.” While speaking rashly and thoughtlessly can divide relationships, wise words can do just the opposite. They can bring health and healing and restore broken relationships. Our wise words can bring about reconciliation. They can also bring health to others by encouraging and counseling those who are hurting and in need of friendship or an uplifting word. 
 
Jesus said in Matthew 15:18 that “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…” If we are speaking rashly and wounding people, it means that our hearts are not where they need to be. What is coming out of your mouth these days? Is it wise words that bring health and healing or is it thoughtless words that cut like a knife? I challenge you to examine your heart. Fill your heart with God’s Word so that what proceeds out if it may be pleasing to Him and healing to others.

Today is the first Wednesday of July, and this month we will look at passages that deal with our speech.  We begin with Proverbs 12:18.  Let's be sure our words bring health and healing to others!

July 6, 2022

In the Word on Wednesday

“There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  Proverbs 12:18

There are many verses in the book of Proverbs that talk about our speech.  They praise those who speak truthfully and wisely and warn against speaking lies or speaking without thinking.  In fact, verses 17-19 of this very Proverb are all about speaking truthfully and wisely.  I encourage you to read Proverbs 12:17-19 when you have a chance.

Today, though, let’s just look at verse 18.  The first part says, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword.”  Other translations say, “the words of the reckless” and “thoughtless words.”  How many of us have spoken without thinking and hurt someone terribly?  I know I have, and

Proverbs 12:18

Today is the last Wednesday in June, and we are concluding our look at passages about sadness and sorrow with Psalm 119:92. I pray that it blesses and encourages you to let God's Law be your delight. 
 
June 29, 2022 
 
In the Word on Wednesday 
 
“If Your law had not been my delight, 
Then I would have perished in my affliction.” Psalm 119:92 
 
This little verse in the midst of a huge Psalm about the Word of God has become very special to me. I was telling the story to a group of friends of how I had been through a difficult time a few months before. Before that difficult time even started, however, I had begun memorizing Scripture and reciting it to myself every day to keep it fresh in my memory. I told my friends that if I had not done this, I don’t think I would have survived this difficult time with my faith intact. One of my friends instantly said, “Psalm 119:92: ‘If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction.’” I added it to my list of memorized verses, and it has become the theme of my heart to help me when I get discouraged about Scripture memorization. 
 
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says in its introduction to Psalm 119: 
“The psalmist was persecuted by men of rank and authority, who ridiculed his beliefs, seeking to put him to shame and make him give up his faith. But he strengthened himself by meditating on the Word of the Lord, which to him was his comfort, his prized possession, his rule of life, and his resource for strength – all of which drove him to desire it even more.” 
That is how it has been in my life! 
 
In studying Psalm 119, I learned that it is an acrostic poem based on the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each section or paragraph is based on one of the 22 letters and each of the 8 verses in each section begin with that letter of the alphabet. All but 2 of the 176 verses in the Psalm are about the Word of God and use one of 10 synonyms for God’s Word. 
 
Today’s verse, verse 92, is in the section for the letter Lamedh which is entitled in The Bible Knowledge Commentary as “God’s Word is Sure.” Verse 92 uses “Your law” to mean God’s Word and refers to His teaching and instruction, probably the whole of the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch). God’s instructions have enabled the psalmist to survive and to win the victory over his enemies. Matthew Henry says it “afforded him abundant matter of comfort.” 
 
Where are you finding your comfort today? Is it in God’s Word? When I have trouble sleeping, rather than counting sheep or lying there worrying about my troubles, I go through my list of memorized verses. I fall asleep before I get very far and rest in the comforting Words of my Lord and God. I challenge you to start memorizing God’s Word today. Start slowly – even if it’s just memorizing one verse a month, at the end of the year, you will have 12 verses memorized – 12 more than you had the year before. His Word will be your delight and keep you from perishing in your affliction.

Today is the last Wednesday in June, and we are concluding our look at passages about sadness and sorrow with Psalm 119:92.  I pray that it blesses and encourages you to let God's Law be your delight.

June 29, 2022

In the Word on Wednesday

“If Your law had not been my delight,
Then I would have perished in my affliction.”   Psalm 119:92

This little verse in the midst of a huge Psalm about the Word of God has become very special to me.  I was telling the story to a group of friends of how I had been through a difficult time a few months before.  Before that difficult time even started, however, I had begun memorizing Scripture and reciting it to myself every day to keep it fresh in my memory.  I told my friends that if I had not done this, I don’t think I would have survived this difficult time with my faith intact.  One of my friends instantly said, “Psalm 119:92: ‘If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have perished in my affliction.’”  I added it to my list of memorize

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