What Kind of Tongue Do You Have
Reading in Proverbs 26 this morning from my Life Application Study Bible [large print:(] I love this Bible because it gives a lot of additional insight not only about what is written but the context it was written in and at times it gives thoughts on certain themes that come from Scripture. One of the themes in Proverbs is the Tongue.
There are four types of tongues that are referenced in Proverbs. I will share what the application with you as it is written:
What we say probably affects more people than any other action we take. It is not surprising, then to find that Proverbs gives special attention to words and how they are used. Four common speech patterns are described in Proverbs. The first two should be copied; the last two should be avoided.
The Controlled Tongue Those with this speech pattern think before speaking, know when silence is best, and give wise advice.
Proverbs 10:19, 11:12,13, 12:16, 13:3, 15:1,4,28, 16:23, 17:14,27,28, 21:23, 24:26
The Caring Tongue Those with the speech pattern speak truthfully while seeking to encourage.
Proverbs 10:32, 12:18,25, 15:23, 16:24, 25:15, 27:9
The Conniving Tongue Those with the speech pattern are filled with wrong motives, gossip, slander, and a desire to twit truth.
Proverbs 6:12-14, 8:13,16-28, 18:8, 25:18, 26:20-28
The Careless Tongue Those with this speech pattern are filled with lies, curses, quick-tempered words – which can lead to rebellion and destruction.
Proverbs 10:18,32, 11:9, 12:16,18, 15:4, 17:9,14,19, 20:19, 25:23
Take the time to look at these… for yourself… what is my natural default for my tongue? For us parents grade your children… what is their natural “bent” and begin to help them make a course adjustment where and when needed… ask ourselves the tough question… are they learning from me both good and bad?
They learn a lot from what they see us do!
