INTRODUCTION

The Bible has much to say about the tongue or the words man speaks. The tongue of man is a deadly weapon (James 3:5-8 [5] Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! [6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. [7] For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: [8] But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
See All...). As such, the scripture likens it to a bow that is bent; only the arrows are the expressed lies (Jeremiah 9:3And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.
See All...). A similar thought is found in Psalm 64:3Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
See All... where David said of the wicked that they “whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.” Unfortunately, even Christians sometimes make light of how deadly words can be. The old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” may sound quaint; but it is far from the truth. Words do cause wounds. The Bible likens lies to arrows that are shot out of a bow. Relating the lies to the arrows is certainly meant to convey the pain caused by the lying. Lies often do bring hurt; sometimes not physically, but in some form or another lies wound others.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

• (For children): The tongue is also likened to fire (James 3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
  See All...; Proverbs 16:27An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
  See All...). What does a real fire do when it goes unchecked? You can hurt other people with your words, especially if your words are not true. Let's ask God to help us with our mouths as David did in Psalm 141:3Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
  See All....
• (For everyone): Have you spread lies about other people? How could those lies hurt them (either physically, emotionally, or even their testimony, etc.)? Would you willingly shoot a person in the heart with an arrow? If not, why would you allow your lies to do it?
• Have you ever had someone lie about you? How did that make you feel? Did it cause any trouble that you had to later fix? Did it seem as though those lies would crush you?

PRAYER NEEDS

• Ask God to help you think before speaking hurtful lies about others.
• Ask God to make you think of your lies as arrows that can hurt or kill others.

HYMN

His Way with Thee

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