Proverbs 18:20-21 The Power Of The Tongue

With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:20, 21 NASB)

Observation:

1/3 of the proverbs deal directly or indirectly with communication.

The tongue does more than pass information, it provides nourishment or poison for the soul. 

The tongue has a reciprocal nature to it, if we use it to hurt, we will hurt, if we use it to heal, we will be healed.

Destructive speech includes: lying, gossip, slander, insults, flattering, bragging

Constructive speech includes: keeping our word, spread true and good reports about people, speak honestly to others from a place of love,  calls out the best in others, is thankful. 

Promises of constructive speech: it is a tree of life, meaning it continues to nourish and draws the nourishments from it's root, Jesus Christ. (Proverbs 15:4).

Constructive words heal us, they are a balm that goes deep to the soul and soothes our spirit. (Proverbs 16:24).

Constructive words nourish many (Proverbs 10:21). 

Application:

It is out of overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. I need to watch what is going in, because it will eventually come out. The Word of God is the best source of life-giving nourishment and nothing else can compete. All the examples of constructive speech can be found in the bible. As a part of daily discipline it is good to nourish myself with the Word of God. However, keeping guard over my heart is not something that I can do alone, in fact, the task primarily rests on Christ. He is the one who can truly tell if my heart is pure to begin with, He alone purifies my heart, and He alone can stand guard over it. My task is to continually go to Him and respond in obedience to what He asks of me, knowing it is good.

Prayer:

Father, I thank You for the life-giving nourishment of Your word. Please heal me with Your word and refine my heart of any impurities. I also ask that You stand guard over My heart and use my speech to bring life to others, for You are the root of life in which I draw from.