Daily Devotional Details

Date

From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. Proverbs 18:20

What you say comes out of you, but it also goes down inside you. It goes to the stomach. Words of blessing and praise will go deep down into your soul. They are like sweet fruit and they will nourish your soul. Words of cursing and rage will also go down into your soul. But they are bitter fruit and they will make your soul sick.

The tongue is the means by which we bring great help or harm to others, and to ourselves. Speaking life words or death words will have a profound effect on others, but it will also have a profound effect on you.

We all eat our own words, and what we eat will either be sweet or bitter. What brings help to others will bring help to us. What brings harm to others will bring harm to us. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Speaking destruction to others will bring destruction to you. Speaking life to others will be life-giving to you. This is why it is always wise to forgive those who sin against us. To hold a grudge is to harm yourself.

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak” (Matt. 12:36). God will hold us accountable not only for what we did but also for what we said. Freedom of speech is a wonderful gift and an awesome responsibility: “People will give account for every careless word they speak”! And God hears and knows every word you have ever spoken.

Reflect on some of the more important conversations you’ve had in the past few weeks. Can you identify some that contained bitter fruit? How about some that were sweet fruit? Thank God for this! Do you need to confess anything to God? Do you need to go and apologize to someone?