ENTER YOUR PASSWORD
Proverbs 13:3 NKJV
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
Stop for a moment and think about the things you have a password for. We password-protect our phones, computers, digital tablets, and different websites. If we have a security system for our homes, there is a password or code that allows us access. And a password we share with the monitoring company in the event the alarm is set off. We have a security system at the church that, if the right passcode is not typed in, the alarm goes off, and you get to talk to a nice law enforcement officer. The bottom line is that if it is important to us, we guard it and protect it. And in our proverb for today, we are given one more thing to guard, and this one is important.
Solomon is back to the proverbial contrasts in chapter 13. The beautiful thing about contrasts is that they paint such a vivid picture. In our verse for today, the thing we are to guard is our mouth. Once again, Solomon, in his God-given wisdom, is pointing out the value of choosing right words and only speaking right words. He makes a bold statement with this verse. If you guard your words, you protect your life. The word guard is the word for watch. A guard who is watching is alert to anything that may cause harm. Not on my watch is a term that says nothing is going to go bad when I am in charge because I am alert to potential trouble. The word preserve is the word meaning to keep, to guard, to be careful, to beware. So, the ones who are very alert as to what they say are the ones who are taking good care of their lives.
Contrast the one who is careful as to what he says versus the one who opens wide his mouth. The implied idea is someone who is talking with no restraint. There is no guard on their mouth. I have heard some people take pride in their ability to just say whatever regardless. I have also noticed these same people are typically involved in more drama and conflict than necessary. You do not have to worry about the words that you never said. When I look back on my life, some of my biggest regrets were over things I said. As we talked about in yesterday’s devotional, our words can bring hurt or healing. And hurtful words can bring ruin to relationships, jobs, our mental and physical health, and our peace.
How much less would we say if we had to type in a password before we spoke? What would be the content of our words if our password was healing or gracious1? Just kidding. No, not really. We guard our phones, but even more, we need to guard our mouths.
PRAYER
Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight.