Stop Your Mouth-Stop Your Ears – Ecclesiastes 7:21

Wake Up Call

There is some good advice about the use of our mouth in Ephesians 4:29. The Message paraphrases it this way; “Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.” Oh, don’t you wish you could go back and do a re-wind of certain conversations and comments? I’m sure there are very few of us who have mastered that scripture 100%.

Therefore, do we have any right to get so offended with others when they break that rule and we are on the receiving end? Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 tells it like it is: “Also do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others.”

When I used to manage people at my former company there were times when individuals would come traipsing into my office to complain about what someone else said about them. They were shocked and indignant. That always surprised me, because I often saw them do the same thing they were complaining about. They didn’t take it seriously when they spoke badly about others, but they took it very seriously when someone spoke badly about them.

When we hear that someone has “cursed” us what should we do? I think it would be good to start with our own heart. Can we say we are any better than them if our whole life were examined? And since the words hurt so badly (and now we really know what it feels like) can we resolve to clean up our own mouth? Then let us do a final thing and toughen up our skin a little and let it go. That’s why the scripture says not to take it to heart. Don’t let it sink in; cast it off before it works its way into the deep places where it can cause further trouble.

The next time, stop your mouth before you speak ill of someone and then stop-up your ears before they hear someone speaking ill of you.

 

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