“He who guards his mouth and his tongue

     keeps himself from calamity.”

 

My kids already understood a portion of the depths of the wisdom in this proverb.  So early on does this proverb speak so clearly, as early as the first word that crosses our lips.  As triplets, my kids get to experience the benefits as well as the not so beneficial aspects of being the same age.  When one of them makes a mistake, the other two are quick to point it out.  As my daughter, who was attempting to put her interrupting brothers in their place, famously shouted, “If you won’t listen to me, then I won’t listen to me!”, this quote has been used many times to point out when our words get ahead of our mouths.

 

Betsy and I went straight to James 3:1-12 to give our kids a clear concept of what power we have in our mouths.  Matthew 15:18 drew us in even deeper for the tongue gets its signal from the heart.  When I asked my kids, “Where’s Jesus?”  We were immediately brought to the beginning of the book of John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  In v. 14, we read of how “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”  When we considered Jesus as the Word of God, the Proverb flipped and we saw the depth of the heart of God.  If the words on our tongue come from our hearts, then the Word of God must come from His.  However, Jesus was not guarded, and the calamity of the cross was not avoided, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.  For our sakes, he bore our sins, 1Peter 2:24, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and become new creations in Him, 2 Corinthians 5:17.

 

Jesus fulfilled this proverb by taking its truth and wisdom upon Himself for our sake.  He took our sin and the calamity it brings to the cross.  A way has been made for us; a way beyond death that starts even now for all who believe in Him.  Come to faith in Jesus even now.  Become a new creation in Him, and live your new life today!