Have you ever heard of the saying, if you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say it at all? I know I have failed in this department. I’ve said many kind things, but at the same time I have also said negative things to and about other people. I am guilty of this and I’m sure many of you are also! We should all learn to tame our mouths.  You may think words are just words and they don’t have permanents effects, however, although words are nothing tangible, they can still hurt people’s feelings like a sword cutting through your heart.

Everything you say comes from your heart. You can’t say you have a pure heart if the words from your mouth don’t resemble it. Your words come from one root; your heart. James 3:10-12 says, “Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should be not. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” Your mouth is like a mirror to your heart.Everything you say reflects how you feel. Keeping a pure heart should influence your mouth to say positive things, and taming your mouth/words will also keep your heart sane. Your mouth and heart work hand in hand, they are vice versa.

Jesus also led a great example of speaking life to others and taming his words. Throughout his whole life, he always spoke of life. Even on the day he was crucified his last words were, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”Even though Jesus was ridiculed and crucified in pain on the cross, his words to everyone were still full of love during his last breath of life. Let’s all follow Jesus and let our words speak of life. Speak life to others and yourself!

Let’s all learn to grow a pure heart and let our mouths resemble it. Don’t think that our words are too little of importance to effect our lives and others.James 3:10-11 says, “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil amount the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

No one is perfect and we will never be perfect 247. There will always be times when we fail, but what is important is that we go back up and strive to be a better Christian than yesterday. We may fail a thousand times, but God’s mercy will bring us up a thousand times more. So remember, tame your words each and every day.