Sentence Sermons (Christian Inspiration) #121 --- Tongue

“I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36, 37.)

The tongue. ... No part of the human body gets us into more trouble, and no part of the human body more adequately defines our character. The tongue is like a sharp knife and lays us apart. Everyday, through our words, we reveal the kind of people we are. ...

When we consider the importance of the verse quoted above, that we must give an account of every word that we speak, then we must consider the things that we say. It should prompt us to be more careful and concerned about the things we say and the things we wish to talk about.

The tongue is a wonderful instrument, for it can be such a comfort. Think of the numbers of people who have been given comfort by the Words of Christ. It can give us words of encouragement, it can give us words of cheer, words of praise. It can bring us good news, yes, even the news of eternal life.

Oppositely speaking, the tongue is wicked, for it tells lies, it makes fun of the Words of Christ and blasphemes His Holy Name. It jeers at people, it takes what has been said by people and twists them out of shape–it serves well any master that controls it. Truly, the tongue is a remarkable creation.

When you realize that the Lord has said we shall account for the things we say, then we surely ought to ask His guidance each day to live holy and blameless lives.

—Otto Dale, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Sarasota, Fla., Sept. 27, 1959.

[Read James 1:26; 4:5-8.] That little member is indeed a world of iniquity, defiling the whole body, corporeal and politic. It is truly set on fire of hell, and is directed not to consume that which is unnatural, abnormal, immoral, but it setteth on fire the course of nature, the proper and beneficent course of things natural, normal and divine. It appears to be truly of an untamable nature, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

—David O. Calder, Deseret Evening News, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 13, 1875.

Watch your tongue. It is wet and may slip.

—William Henry Bucklew, The Starkville News, Starkville, Miss., Aug. 6, 1948.

The trouble with some of us is that we start our mouths going and then we go off and leave ‘em.

—J. Golden Kimball, Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, April 5, 1909.

If God had meant that the tongue should wound people He would have put spurs on it.

—W.A. MacKenzie, The Leesburg Morning Commercial, Leesburg, Fla., July 23, 1927.

If your tongue is loose, it reports loose thoughts.

—Phil Conley, The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss., Dec. 14, 1947.

Some people seem to have more than one mouth--or is it a double tongue?

—Dewey O. Miller, The Wesleyan Youth, Marion, Ind., November 1962.

Some men have such a fiery tongue that they burn themselves badly.

—Dewey O. Miller, The Wesleyan Youth, Marion, Ind., April 1963.

If you don't know whether to bite your tongue or talk back, be on the safe side and bite your tongue.

—Dewey O. Miller, The Wesleyan Youth, Marion, Ind., July 1963.

Acid speech is usually an indication of a seared soul.

—Roy L. Smith, Christian Advocate, Chicago, Ill., Dec. 9, 1943.

Abusive language is one of the first symptoms of a closed mind.

—Roy L. Smith, Christian Advocate, Chicago, Ill., Dec. 26, 1946.

Life is a continuous battle for everyone who makes no effort to control his tongue.

—Roy L. Smith, Tampa Morning Tribune, Tampa, Fla., Dec. 22, 1932.

A running tongue is like a runaway horse.

—Ernest C. Wareing, Western Christian Advocate, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 18, 1926.

A long tongue is a good thing for an ox, but is mightily out of place in a Christian.

—J.B. Cranfill, Baptist Standard, Waco, Texas, July 27, 1893.

The man who will invent a successful tongue-shortener will be more universally esteemed than the discoverer of the law of gravitation.

—J.B. Cranfill, Baptist Standard, Waco, Texas, Jan. 17, 1895.

The largest moral muscles are not for those that move the tongue.

—Henry F. Cope, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., Sept. 2, 1906.

The bitter tongue sends most of its poison back into its own heart.

—Henry F. Cope, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., Sept. 9, 1906.

One light tongue can make many heavy hearts.

—Henry F. Cope, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., July 14, 1907.

It's slow work climbing to heaven on smooth words.

—Henry F. Cope, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., June 7, 1908.

The man who is anxious to let you know God is on his tongue usually has the devil in his heart.

—Henry F. Cope, Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., Feb. 28, 1909.

Many use the tongue as a weapon as it can be used as a blunt or sharp instrument.

—Carey Williams, Beaumont Enterprise, Beaumont, Texas, Aug. 17, 1957.

There is a lot of scandal power in the average tongue.

—Carey Williams, Beaumont Enterprise, Beaumont, Texas, May 7, 1962.

Usually the first loose screw in a man’s head is the one that controls his tongue.

—Nat Campbell, El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, July 10, 1956.

Man is the only animal who breaks his neck to save face.

—Harold Coffin, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, Calif., Sept. 11, 1966.

Good deeds speak for themselves. The tongue only interrupts their eloquence.

—Chicago Heights Star, Chicago Heights, Ill., June 30, 1968.