TONGUES OF PRAISE

“I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.  My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.  Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His Name together.”  (Psalm 34:1-3, NIV)

One of my goals this year is to praise the Lord with my mouth more often.  We Christians today don’t praise the Lord enough.  It’s much easier to grumble and complain, gossip or criticize others than to use our lips for praise and adoration of Jesus Christ.  However, controlling our tongues is not an easy task.  My husband says that whatever I am thinking often comes straight out of my mouth.  Do you have this problem with your tongue?

The Bible has much to say, especially in the Book of James, about our tongues and how to use them correctly.  James compares the tongue to a bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder of a large ship (James 3:3-4).  Our tongue can either navigate us in the right or wrong direction, depending on how we use it.  The tongue is also very powerful, although it is a very small part of our body.  James compares it to a small spark that can burn down an entire forest (James 3:5). 

Jesus said that what comes out of our mouth is a reflection of what is in our heart (Matt. 15:18).  Our speech also reveals what is inside us. 

Are you controlling your tongue or does your tongue control you?  Using our tongues in the right way will bring us blessing and peace.  We will love life and see good days (I Peter 3:10-11).  Using our tongue in the wrong way creates strife, dissension, envy and a host of other evils.  If we are wise, we will learn to bridle our tongues.  We don’t need to be gossiping about others, talking about self or the latest football scores.  Instead, we need to be praising Christ for His great goodness, mercy and faithfulness in our lives each day and proclaiming God’s grace to others, especially those who are unsaved. 

Dear Holy Spirit, help us to control our tongues and use them as vessels of praise for Your glory!