Our Lord said, "Out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." That being the case, many who are outwardly pious must be raging beasts within. Their
tongues are full of gossip, slander, and backbiting. No weapon ever formed can
inflict so much pain or do so much damage as the tongue. Who among us has not
felt the pain of someone's unbridled tongue? Having been ourselves the object
of another's slander, we should be careful never to receive it and never to
convey it! Bridle your tongue: Shut your ears to all gossip! Use your tongue
for edification, not for demolition. Use it for honor, not for reproach. Use it
for praise, not for pain. Use it for good, not for evil. Let us learn to pray
like David, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my
lips." Never did a man make a more practical and useful request!