Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.– Proverbs 21:23 (NIV)

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. – Proverbs 21:23 (KJV)

52 Proverbs in 52 Weeks – Week 32
This week’s theme:  God’s Life Hacks, simple Biblical truths to increase the fruitfulness and happiness of our lives.

God’s Life Hack:  Be Careful What You Say

Proverbs 21:23 is a perfect complement to our “Life Hack” from Week 31.  Recall that Proverbs 18:13 advised us to listen carefully before we speak (see Proverbs 18:13).  This week’s verse, Proverbs 21:23, offers additional guidance:  when we do speak, we should be careful what we say.

“Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.”  Oh how true this is.  We see the opposite (i.e., people not guarding their mouths) play out all around us every day:  locally in our schools, communities, churches, and workplaces, and nationally or globally among celebrities, politicians, and other public figures.  There’s no shortage of people saying things that are unkind, hurt family or friends, cause conflict, or cost them their jobs or reputations.  But God’s Life Hack in Proverbs 21:23 helps us avoid these situations…

The late Billy Graham’s approach to guarding his mouth serves as a great example.  His recommendation was to ask ourselves three questions about what we want to say before we speak:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Does it glorify Christ?
If the answer to any one of these questions is “no,” then it’s most likely better to keep our thoughts to ourselves (here’s a link to his devotional on this subject: Tame Your Tongue).  My parents used to put it this way to me and my sister:  “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then say nothing at all.”  That is sage advice, and it’s particularly important for Christians.  If the things we say are hurtful, argumentative, unkind, or dishonest, then we aren’t reflecting the love and goodness of our Heavenly Father to those around us.  And, in some cases, we may be the only window some people have into God’s family.

Since “Guard your tongue” was one of Billy Graham’s “6 Rules of Living,” I’d like to close this week with another quote from him on this topic:
Guard your tongue.  Use it for good instead of evil.  How many marriages and friendships have been destroyed because of criticism that has spun out of control?  But the tongue can also be used for good; that should be our goal.  When people ask me for advice about their personal problems, which they often do, I always try to give them an answer based on the Bible.  “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.”
(source:  Billy Graham’s 6 Rules of Living, Reader’s Digest, 1 Aug 2018)

Here’s a link to more verse posts on  God’s Life Hacks.

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