Proverbs 17:14 (AMPC) The beginning of strife is as when water first trickles [from a crack in a dam]; therefore stop contention before it becomes worse and quarreling breaks out.
Oh, how true this is! We all know it. When we say, “Man, I wish that never came out of my mouth,” but it is too late. We just had to give him or her a piece of our mind. We let it flow, and then it was like a crack in a dam, and we cannot get it back.
This verse is talking about more than just what we say, but it does seem like what we say causes a lot of issues. James says it like this in James 3:6: “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
We let things out of our mouths that cause explosions, and then we say, “What caused that?” Well, here it says that it is our tongue. Let us watch what comes out of our mouths. Let us be people that close cracks, and not ones that make the cracks bigger. Jesus said that it is the peacemakers that are blessed; the ones that will walk the extra mile, or turn the other cheek. That is the kind of person I want to be. How about you?
Another good scripture for watching what comes out of our mouth is in Proverbs 21:23. The Complete Jewish Bible says it like this: "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble."
Let us make a decision today to slow down the flow of strife, and let peace rule our lives and our mouths. Let us strive to be ones that bring peace and love to situations. It is all up to us. What we will do with it is in our hand, or should I say, our mouth. Today is a new day! Let us make it a good day!
Confession: I am making a decision, today, to walk in love, to stop the strife, and to let peace rule in my heart. I am going to share that goodness with others. Today, I choose to be the peacemaker and the peace-giver.
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