Fruit of the Lips
Proverbs 18:20-21 (NIV) "From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. So the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
When I think of fruit, I think of bananas. I love bananas. I love their shape and color. I love the way you have to peel it, and I love the texture in my mouth. I also love to freeze them for protein smoothies. At Christmas, my mom always made banana bread. Everyone would rave over mom's banana bread, but she chose very ripe bananas for her recipe to achieve the perfect taste. But overripe fruit can cause harmful consequences when correlated to the words we speak.
Words. Be wise what and how you talk to those you love; don't ever do it through anger, rage, or a very nasty temper which can cause great harm. The Holy Spirit is listening—and so is God. Some words are rotten fruit that can and will backfire. It takes lots (it did for me) of PPT (Prayer, Practice, and Time) to overcome a foul mouth. Many times, I begged God to please duck tape my mouth or, better yet, shut it and let nothing come out; just like he did John the Baptist's father through his disbelief that he and his wife could bear a son at a very old age (Luke 1:11-25).
I was raised to be a proper young lady, but the enemy of my soul walked right in, sat right down, and took residence. As a woman, I grew up in the Helen Reddy era of the "I am woman hear me roar" generation. I had to have the first, last, and every word in the middle word. I was always right and never wrong. I feel confident my mother wondered what happened to the young lady I tried to raise in the world!
Suppose you are one, like I was, who has had a troubled mouth which bore rotten fruit. Pray and ask God to help you through the power of the Holy Spirit. A part of his job is to purge and clean us. So, just a thought to leave you with: there won't be gripping, complaining, anger, or tempers in heaven; no rotten fruit. What is in the heart always comes out of the mouth, and you will eat its fruit, and everyone around you will partake of it whether it is good, bad, or ugly.
Matthew 12:36 "But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment" (KJV). Sobering Huh?
God bless you all as we strive to be the best that we can through Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Rev. Molly
