Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. (Proverbs 10:19, New International Version)
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. (James 1:26, New International Version)
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. (Psalm 119:37, New International Version)
I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. (Psalm 101:3, New International Version)
Theme: The Wisdom of Discipline
Title: Discipline and Discretion
Reflection:
Discretion is defined as “the freedom or authority to make decisions and choices.” (Collins Dictionary). On the highway of life, at the intersection of discretion and discipline, wisdom is essential. The Bible often uses parts of our body to encourage us to be disciplined when making daily choices. Today we will use the tongue and the eye to illustrate this point. However, we could just as easily use other body parts such as the ears, hands, and feet.
The tongue is symbolic of the way we communicate, and the Bible has a lot to say about the disciplined discretion we should exercise. Both of our Scripture passages today remind us that a loose tongue is not consistent with obedience to God. Of course, in our computerized world, emails, social media posts, and other forms of electronic communication require the same type of discipline prescribed for the tongue.
The eyes are often symbolic of our focus and priorities. Our Scripture passages today remind us of the daily choices we have to focus on worthy things or worthless things. This choice is complicated by the vast amount of money being spent by advertisers to convince us that worthy things are worthless and worthless things are worthy. We must be disciplined and fix our eyes on Jesus.
Conclusion:
The words of advice we see in Scripture regarding the tongue, eye, and other parts of our body are constant reminders of the discretion we have every day to make wise and disciplined decisions. Do we speak words that lift people up or tear them down? Do we focus on things that build our character or feed vain ambitions? We are constantly making choices like these, and the sum total of these decisions impact our growth and testimony. How can we remain vigilant about making wise decisions? I would love to hear from you.
Contributor: Norman Christie