“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
- Jesus to the Pharisees (Matthew 12:34)

Taming the tongue may be one of the most difficult tasks for the follower of Christ, but thankfully, Jesus reminds us clearly that changing the heart is the key to controlling the tongue. A person can refrain only for a short time from using bad language, from gossiping about his neighbor, from wounding a friend in an angry torrent of words, if these things remain in his heart.

The tongue is the “overflow of the heart,” and that is why, we are often embarrassed at the “slip” of our tongue when we say something “we didn’t mean.” Truthfully, we must admit that we certainly did mean what we said at the time. We apologize of course and try to cover it up because we’re embarrassed at the evil overflow of our heart that slipped from our lips. If you want to clean up your mouth and put an end to the gossip, the lying, and the hate that your lips sometimes spew forth, you must first receive a change of heart so that the overflow of your new heart will be sweet rather than bitter. The condition of one’s tongue is a window to the condition of one’s heart.

Those that encourage, that lift up others, that speak of the Lord, that always share the truth in love – those people are also speaking out of the abundance of their heart – revealing the overflow of joy and peace that comes from a vibrant relationship with Christ. The good heart will produce good words; the evil heart will produce evil words. Christ’s heart produced perfect words.

If you want an overflow of this nature, fill your mind and heart with Scripture, with Christ’s words, with His teaching, with His love and humility and soon, a symphony of edifying words will spring from your heart, replacing the evil wishes and secrets that were once held there.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2007 Kingdom People blog