THINK TOGETHER.
Do you talk too much?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 21:23. Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
Solomon and the book of Proverbs tells us over and over again to be quiet. Stop talking so much. The more we talk, the more likely we are to say something we will regret, especially when we talk without thinking.
Solomon says KEEP your mouth. This word keep means to guard your mouth. Like a prison guard making sure no one escapes, we must make sure no bad, foolish, or hasty words get out.
Do you talk too much? Do you guard your mouth? In the New Testament James, the brother of Jesus, says that guarding our mouths is one of the hardest things we can ever do. In fact, he says anyone who can master their words has mastered all of life. They are perfect.
Of course only one person has been perfect. Who? Jesus.
Jesus kept his mouth and his tongue. He never once said anything foolish, untrue, hasty, or out of place. But guess what? He still got in trouble didn't he? The proverb says that if we keep our mouth we will keep ourselves out of trouble. But Jesus got in trouble even when he was quiet and didn't say anything. Why? Because sometimes trouble comes looking for you even when you are quiet and don't say anything wrong. But Jesus also knew that he had to go through the trouble of the cross for us. He had to be quiet and yet be punished for all of our bad words so that we wouldn't have to be punished for them. He took our trouble so that we could have his triumph!
Because of Jesus all of our bad words and the foolish things we say are forgiven.
With Jesus we can keep our mouths quiet and stay out of trouble.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Make James 4:11a a family memory verse.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, help me to keep my mouth quiet when what I want to say will only make things worse. And thank you for forgiving me for all the times I won't get this right. Amen.
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