Excessive talk is the enemy of listening.His words pierce deep like the quills of the porcupine.” The Puritan, Thomas Watson, said: “The scorpion carries its poison in its tail, the slanderer in his tongue. It hurts others deeply: “The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the inmost body” (Proverbs 18:8). It leads to the betrayal of confidences: “He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip” (Proverbs 20:19 NASB). It causes strife: “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases” (Proverbs 26:20). It destroys friendships: “He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends” (Proverbs 17:9). The issue is there are some things that simply don’t need to be, and should not be, repeated because the negative effects of gossip are numerous. However, it’s important to realize that the accuracy of the information being chattered about is not the only issue. Webster’s Dictionary defines a gossip as, “a person who chatters or repeats idle talk and rumors.” So, idle talk and rumors usually define the content of gossip. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive” (17:27, 28). “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.
#TIM CHALLIES JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST FULL#
It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” We must discipline ourselves to refrain from speaking when it is not necessary. The reason for this is found in the sobering truth of James 3:8: “But no man can tame the tongue. These verses seem to be saying the more you talk, the more you will sin. “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction” (13:3). “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (21:23). “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). There are many and include the following:
That got me thinking about the dangers of talking too much. The hard road is the application of wisdom in the restraint of the most powerful muscle in our body. The right response is the hard road of self-discipline. After reading a chapter in Disciplines of a Godly Man by Kent Hughes, and verses from Proverbs that address the issue, some of us were tempted to stop talking all together! However, we quickly realized this was not the answer. Years ago, my men’s small group discussed the discipline of the tongue. Is it a sin to talk too much? Well, that depends.
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