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Does God Care About How I Speak?
There are innumerable things we learn as we live life. While some of those things we learn are trivial in nature, some carry a lot of importance and weight to them as we live our lives. In fact, even though we may have learned some basic life skill when we were rather young, we end up spending the rest of our life crafting and honing that skill. Speaking is one example of this.
When we are young, we are learning how to speak. We practice making the sounds and repeating the things we hear until we can speak for ourselves. But as adults, we have long since moved past that stage. But are we done learning how to speak? Nope. In fact, we are learning the hardest part of speaking: learning to tame our tongues. And it's this endeavor that we should spend our lives perfecting.
Why even bother exercising discipline in our speech? Well the first reason is for those of us who claim to be Christians. James 1:26 says, "If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless."
But why is that person's religion worthless? James 3:9-12 says, "With [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh." It seems that the person who fails to control his tongue has a religion that is worthless because he is a hypocrite. With the same mouth that he blesses God, he also curses others. These are incompatible uses.
If we use undisciplined speech, we may be found hypocrites! Why is that a big deal? Look at what Jesus says about what will be the reward for hypocrites. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" God promises to separate hypocrites from Himself on the day of judgment. The reward is eternal separation from God! This certainly helps us to understand the importance of having disciplined speech.
The second reason for each of us learning to control our tongue is for both Christians and non-Christians. It is simply that it pleases God. Ephesians 4:29, 31-32 says, "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." God wants people to speak words that build up others. To speak in such a way, that those listening are given grace. To speak forgiveness to others that may need it. Why? Because it is a reflection of Christ and His love for mankind.So in a way, we are learning to reflect God's love by how we speak.
Not only does taming our tongues and having godly speech reflect God's love for us, it is one way we can fulfill the greatest commandants of God. Matthew 22 reads, "One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
If you are a Christian, resolve to control your tongue and prove your faith as having worth, not as the worthless faith of a hypocrite.
If you are not a Christian, resolve to start seeking out God's will for your life, even when it comes to how you use your speech.
