Taking Inventory on Our Mouths
Thursday’s Verses:
From Ephesians 4:29 ESV
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Our world is one of rapid-fire words. Online. In the workplace. In the home. And far too often, we blurt things out before we think them, and later we regret it. But God has called His people to be different. Ephesians 4:29 isn’t a mere etiquette tip. It’s about Christian maturity. It’s about recognizing that words can be instruments—or that they can be used as weapons.
Paul is clear: there is no place for corrupting talk. No speech that tears down, that dishonors, that spreads rot. No gossip. No sarcasm. No crude joking. No explosive rages. But notice what should come out of our mouths instead: edifying words. Seasoned words. Words that give grace.
Let that phrase sink in: “give grace to those who hear.” Just as God has blessed us with His Word, our words are meant to be instruments of blessing. Think of how Christ spoke. Even when He had to rebuke, it was with the right motive. He never wasted words. He used them to heal, to convict, to love. As His people, we are to do the same.
We all fail at this, of course. James says the tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (James 3:8). But here is the gospel: Christ was silent when falsely accused, so we could be forgiven for all the damage our mouths have caused. His perfect righteousness covers our reckless words. And His Spirit is at work in us, producing self-control even over our tongues.
So take inventory this day. Who needs encouragement? Who needs grace? Who needs you to zip it before it says something it shouldn’t?
May your words be a reflection of the One who saved you.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord, guard my mouth. Let what I say be formed by Your Word, not by my pride or my anger. Forgive me for when I’ve used words to wound. Make my tongue an instrument of grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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