Keep Thy Tongue

Psalm 34:12-16

“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it,” Psalm 34:13, 14.

Have you ever watched one of those televised beauty pageants? Then you probably heard the phrase world peace. It is the stereotypical pageant contestant’s answer. It is really cliché, but really, who doesn’t want to see peace?

We may not be seeking world peace, however we would all like to see peace in our own lives. But are we entitled to peace? Should peace just automatically come our way? We may not directly say that, but many times we act as though we deserve it.

Nevertheless, peace does not come without effort. We learn in today’s Scripture that we are to “seek peace” (verse 14). Instead of sitting back and expecting our lives to be filled with tranquility, we should be pursuing opportunities to cultivate peace. Instead, many times we do nothing and complain when conflict and chaos come.

One key way we can pursue peace is by watching what we say. There is nothing that can cause conflict in relationships faster than a loose tongue. This passage commands us to “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile” (verse 13). This sounds really good and makes a lot of sense, but it is not always easy to accomplish. In the New Testament book of James, we are shown how difficult the tongue is to tame, however, if we want peace we must learn how to be peacemakers.

Peacemaking begins with you and me. If we are going to have peaceable relationships it is going to take effort. If you desire a more peaceful life, then make peacemaking a priority.

 

JUST ASKING

How are you making daily efforts to keep thy tongue?

Nathan Rogers