One Simple Truth - Day 13: Your own words can become bitter fruit in your mouth.
- araratchurch
- Aug 1, 2024
- 3 min read
“You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."”
Matthew 12:34-37 ESV
Many years ago, as a young preacher in a major denomination, my grandfather spearheaded—and was largely responsible for—a rule being added to the denomination’s bylaws, requiring mandatory retirement by a particular age. He, still being strong and young, thought it best that ministers no longer serve past their days of strength.
But as we all know, the clock keeps ticking, and the time came when he reached that age and was stricken with that same boomerang. Needless to say (if you knew him), he was not happy being put out to pasture.
Now, he was a wonderful man and meant absolutely no harm to anyone in offering that rule. As a matter fact, when he was involved in the effort to install that rule, he said that he would gladly step down when he got to that age. But, when he got there, it was a very different story.
Even though my grandfather regretted the words that now came upon him, this example doesn’t show a tragic consequence of words once spoken. But sadly, many do experience great devastation because of their own words.
Political campaigns have been aborted, friendships destroyed, marriages torn apart, and yes, souls lost, all because of words spoken coming home to roost.
The proverbial writer rightly expresses that we will eat the fruit of our own words. Sometimes that fruit brings blessings and life. Sometimes that fruit brings judgement and death.
“A man's [moral] self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied [whether good or evil]. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].”
Proverbs 18:20-21 AMPC
James echoes a familiar theme from the Bible wherein we are cautioned concerning the potential lethality of a careless tongue.
“Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!“
James 3:2-10 NLT
In our opening scripture we see Jesus warning that we will give an account for ALL of our careless words. Now that should not be taken lightly as we are talking about eternal consequences. But even now, you, as well as I, are most likely currently eating the fruit of our own words in one way or another. For some of us that fruit is sweet. But for others that fruit is very bitter.
Friend, let’s ask the Lord to put a guard over our tongues and the source from which it operates: our hearts. Let’s put an end to living the unforced error of eating the bitter fruit that sprung from our own mouths.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
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