Thursday, May 6, 2010

Apple Z
By Jennie Pierce

“A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
Proverbs 25:11

I was furiously typing an e-mail on my Mac, when all of a sudden I lost half of what I had just penned. Not being as tech-savvy as my children, I quickly ran to my teenager asking how I could get those words back without having to completely re-type the whole thing. The solution was simple: press “apple” then “z.” In a flash, my work reappeared. I was so grateful it was that easy to get my words back so I could refine and polish them before the final sending.

If only it were that easy with our speech. Unfortunately, there are no “take backs” with the tongue. No wonder the Scriptures place such importance on this little member of the body. Being likened to a ship’s rudder or the bit in a horse’s mouth, the tongue has an uncanny and powerful ability to hurt and destroy, or encourage and build up.

According to Scripture, here are a few qualities that should characterize the way we speak:

S- Seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6)
P- “Phileo” or love-based (1 John 3:18; 1 Corinthians 13:1)
E- Excellent and exemplary (2 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Timothy 4:12)
A- Acknowledges Christ (Philippians 2:11)
K- Kept to a minimum (Ecclesiastes 5:2-3; Proverbs 10:19)

Maybe it’s no wonder we were given two ears and only one mouth. We would be very wise to listen twice as much as we speak, and earnestly train our speech to match the characteristics laid out in Scripture. Then, there will be no need to wish for “take backs,” since our speech will beautifully represent apples of gold in a setting of silver.

GOING DEEPER:
1. Which wholesome quality of the tongue is your strong point?
2. Which quality is your weakest? Purposefully exercise that quality today.

FURTHER READING:
Take time to look up the references that correlate with each quality listed.

Jennie is a wife and mother of three. She is active in Oakwood’s musical worship ministry and works part-time for a chiropractor.
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