In James 3:8 we read: “…no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

At first that sounds a bit harsh—but not if you’ve been on the receiving end of some verbal poison! 

Today’s devotional is quite simple. Be careful with your words. They can do serious good, and they can do serious harm.

When I was in high school we didn’t have to worry about things we said being captured forever on social media or YouTube. Today (no matter how old or young you are) our words can be recorded and shared far and wide. Not only can this be a source of pain or embarrassment for us as individuals, but it can further the damage that our words intentionally (or unintentionally) caused. 

You’d think the prevalence of smart phones would make us think twice about our words, but unfortunately that isn’t always the case.

In the early 17th century Lewis Bayly wrote: “The word was thine whilst thou didst keep it in; it is another’s as soon as it is out.”* How true! When our words are still being formed in our heads, they are between us and God. But as soon as they leave our lips they are “out there,” leaving a ripple effect of good or ill.

There are times when we need to have difficult conversations. There are also times when we need to correct someone or speak out (in the appropriate circumstances). That makes sense. But our focus today is about being careful, not careless. 

Will we help or hurt? Build up or break down?

“The word was thine whilst thou didst keep it in; it is another’s as soon as it is out.”*

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Notes:

-*Lewis Bayly, The Practice of Piety (SDG Publishing, 1997), 123.
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.