“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
– Proverbs 10:11
We live in an age of outrage that substitutes volume and venom for wit and wisdom. Research indicates that being negative gives the appearance of being smarter and many today have embraced that “intelligence”. Then we lament why everything is so messed up (actually we don’t, we just blame someone else)!
Proverbs 10 has a great deal to say about what we say, the words that come out of our mouths. If Christians read Proverbs 10 and took it to heart, the world would begin to be a better place! For those who are truly in Christ, our words should and will be life-giving, nurturing, and nourishing to the hurting and wounded that surround us. We always should be sharing words of hope, comfort, welcome, encouragement, and loving correction. Always. Solomon says that for those who are wicked, words are lies and weapons, tools of deception and destruction. Sadly this has become the norm today. Thus we stand at a point where our culture is more about scoring points and firing up our friends and allies than coming together to actually deal with hard problems.
Jesus is quite clear in Matthew 15:17-20 – the words that come out of your mouth reflects the actual content of your heart. This should challenge each person who calls themself a follower of Christ. What words flow out of your mouth in public, in private, and online and what do they say about your heart?