Day 4 – Giving God our Mouth
We give God our eyes, our ears. We also give God our mouth.
What comes out of our mouths is first in our hearts and minds. It is good or true or beautiful? Is it morally honorable, faithfully accurate, aesthetically admirable, spiritually valuable?
Paul wrote “think about such things” (Philippians 4:8). We can add, speak about such things.
The mouth can speak what is good – to praise God, testify about God, teach God’s wisdom. The mouth can also speak what is bad.
Ephesians 4:29 summarizes the life and death power of our mouths: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
The Bible talks about lips. Lying lips and the lips of fools. Lips that talk of mischief and lips that are a snare to oneself. Lips that flatter and lips that are perverse.
But the Bible also talks about lips of the righteous. Lips through which truth is established. Lips that speak acceptable things to God. Lips of knowledge that are like precious jewels. Lips that speak no guile. Lips in which God is glorified. Lips that praise God.
One of my favorites is Psalm 34:1. “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.”
The Scripture further describes our voice. The voice of weeping. The voice of shouting. The still small voice. The roaring voice. The voice of thunder. The voice of thanksgiving. The voice of supplication.
We read in the Bible about the voice of praise. The voice of joy. The voice of groaning. The voice of understanding. The voice of truth. The voice of a woman in labor. The voice out of the cloud. The voice of God.
The mouth itself can whisper, call, cry out, shout, and shriek.
The mouth can explain, argue, insist, exhort, plead, woo, coax, and chuckle.
The mouth can exult, laugh, warn, affirm, deny, scold, reprove, command, rebuke, condemn, and approve.
The mouth can compliment, criticize, cajole, banter, complain, and correct.
And with our mouth, we can confess “Jesus is Lord”.
Prayer: “Lord, I give you my mouth that I may speak what is good and true and beautiful.”
~ Pastor Dave
