November 28

Ecclesiastes 3:7
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

Biblical Insight
The Bible teaches the incredible power of the tongue. Proverbs 18:21 tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue. James chapter 3 warns of the unruly nature of the tongue, noting that such a little part of the body can cause major destruction. Therefore we need to be careful when we speak. Sometimes silence can prove more golden than the words of wisdom we think we might have. We should all follow the advice of James and think before we speak. He tells us to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

Daily Devotion
A mother who wanted to prepare her daughter for her first day of middle school took her daughter shopping. They bought decorations for her new locker, gym shoes, new clothes, and a tube of toothpaste. When they got home, the young girl inquired why her mother had purchased the toothpaste; it seemed so random.

Taking advantage of the perfect opportunity, the mother took a plate out of the cabinet and handed it to the young girl along with the toothpaste. She then instructed her daughter to squeeze all the toothpaste from the tube onto the plate. The girl completed the task with ease, just as the mother expected. Then the mother made her point; she instructed the girl to put all the toothpaste back into the tube. Exasperated, the girl exclaimed that she could not; the task was impossible. “Exactly,” the mother said. She continued to explain that words are just like the toothpaste; once they are spoken, there is no way to put them back where they came from, so choose them wisely. That advice is not only good for students beginning middle school; in all seasons of life we should ask the Lord to give us wisdom in our conversation.