Ten Commandments for the Tongue

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips."

Psalm 141:3

Thou shalt not gossip. Prov. 18:8 "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts." - Before any evil story whispered in the ear is passed on, it should be treated as the housewife treats apples for a pie...first peeled, then quartered, and cored, then what remains liberally sugared.

Thou shalt not use a multitude of empty words. Prov. 10:19 "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." - Your tongue reveals the nature of your thinking and your character. The divine Master Himself admonishes the children of men to "let your admonishes be yea, yea, nay, nay, for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil."

Thou shalt not boast. Prov. 27:2 "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips." - A small man makes long, loud boastings in order to center the spotlight of attention on himself; the great man works quietly, silently polishing the beacon that it may guide the ship safely into the desired haven.

Thou shalt not flatter. Prov. 26:28 "A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin." Someone has said that "Flattery is like soft soap; it is 90% lye." and you can count on the ratio being just about right. The words of the man or woman who would flatter you, according to the psalmist, who had a great deal of experience with that sort of thing, are "softer than oil, yet withdrawn swords."

Thou shalt not grumble. Phil. 2:14 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe." The prescription for this malady is to saturate your life with loving kindness. Let it enter every pore and the process will be absolutely foolproof against the gnawing frets and worries that are worse than termites to eat the soul out of you.

Thou shalt not backbite or slander. Psalm 64:3 "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows." The tongue that backbites or slanders is the weapon that empties churches, pours streams of bickering humans into divorce courts, fills our jails with wretched humanity, and lashes men and women to Satan's kingdom.

Thou shalt not mock or make fun. Job 11:3 "Will your idle talk reduce men to silence? Will no one rebuke you when you mock?" Let us learn sympathy and give our fellowman a helping hand instead of mockery, no matter how peculiar or odd they may be. Remember, angels visit the earth in all kind of guises.

Thou shalt not lie. Ex. 20:16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor." The first recorded lie told was in the Garden Of Eden. Since then, the practice has spread like a plague throughout the whole earth. Everyone hates a lying tongue.

Thou shalt not swear. Ex. 20:7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Profanity is the official language of the devil's kingdom. Have no part it in for it will disqualify you for heaven.

Thou shalt not argue in anger. Hosea 7:16 "Their leaders will fall by the sword because of their insolent words. For this they will be ridiculed in the land of Egypt." Whatever the provocation is remember that "silence is golden" and that "a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Prov. 15:1

- Author Unknown