The vast majority of the bible is filled with awesome promises, hope and praiseworthy content. But then there are those verses that make you think, feel convicted or even scare you half to death. This is one such scripture and I encourage you to take these words seriously. It comes from Matthew 12:36-37 which says:
“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
These are words spoken by Jesus himself. From what he is saying, the words we speak on earth matter. After we die, we’ll be judged, and the words that we’ve spoken can come back to haunt us or help us. In another part of the bible, it says that everything we do will be judged. I’m not sure if you consider life to be long or short. But compared to eternity, life on earth is like the blink of an eye. I believe that when we are judged, our lives will be dissected even to the most minute details. Everything we say, whether flippantly or without thinking is subject for judging. And everything we do, whether selfishly or sinfully will also be judged. The bible teaches us that even when we do something as simple as give a glass of water to one of Jesus’ followers we will be rewarded in heaven. So, we need to take our words and actions seriously, no matter how small or insignificant we think they are. Everything we say and do is subject to judgment. And if we realize that our entire life will be on display and dissected, we’ll understand how important every instance of our existence really is.
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We need to take our words seriously. When we are judged, they can either condemn us or acquit us, because God knows that out of the heart the mouth speaks. My mother used to say that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, then I shouldn’t say anything at all. This portion of scripture gives new credence to that saying. Proverbs also warns us to be slow to speak. And even when you are alone or trying to impress someone, I encourage you to watch what you say. We’re supposed to be a people that speak words of love and encouragement; words that build people up not tear them down. The bible warns us about the tongue and how it can cause us to sin. But it can also bring life. I hope my words do that, and I hope yours do too because what we say will be examined by God himself one day.