Thursday, March 25, 2010

Dr. Johnson's Devotionals From The Word Of God- 6

The human tongue can detect five basic taste components: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. The last one is not a well known taste I guess. It means savoriness. Umami comes from the Japanese language meaning "flavor" or "taste". It describes the flavor common to savory products such as meat, cheese, and mushrooms. The tongue has several distinct physical features, but the Bible also speaks in length about it's spiritual power. Here are a couple of verses that speak of the power of the tongue.

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

The Bible speaks of several kinds of tongues. Boastful tongue, deceitful tongue, lying tongue, smooth tongue, perverse tongue, malicious tongue, sly tongue, tongue of the crafty, flattering tongue, tongue that plots destruction, tongue that brings healing, tongue of the wise, tongue of the righteous, tongue that speaks what is just and several others.

The Apostle James wrote in length regarding its destructive power.
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
(James 3:5-8)

If our tongue brings healing to others it is a tree of life, otherwise as the Apostle James puts it...the tongue is a fire, a world of evil, restless evil, full of deadly poison......
Does our tongue bring healing to others or is it destructive? is a question we should ask ourselves.
Let's take this advice that the Bible gives us and remember it always,
Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. (1 Peter 3:10)

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