Marie’s daily verse: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name (Psalm 103:1). 

DAILY DEVOTION, April 26, 2024

“…the one who controls his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

When we think of gaining more wisdom, we may think of reading more, studying more, attending classes – – – Solomon tells us that one path to gaining wisdom is to control our lips or watch what we say. Sometimes words spoken in the past live on into the future. We don’t want to speak words that hurt others. We all need to think before we speak. I have opened my mouth thoughtlessly too many times.  I pray that others who may have been hurt by my words will forgive me.

Our verse tells us that when we control our lips, we have gained wisdom. If you want a Ph.D. in wisdom, learn to control your lips. Be careful, especially at home. Sometimes we say hurtful words to those we love that we would never say to a friend. Remember the song, “You always hurt the one you love?” James cautions us to listen more than we speak.  “My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger…” (James 1:19). Sometimes the words we speak live on. Let’s work at making sure they are good words, not hurtful ones.

Prayer: Father, help me to control my lips. May the thoughtless words I have spoken in the past be erased from the minds of those who were hurt by them. May the words of my mouth always be words acceptable in Your sight. Help me, Father, to control my lips, In Jesus’ name, Amen.