Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. - James 3:10
I have a large, adorable granddog. Whenever she comes to my house for a visit we pull out a trusty little spade shovel that is designated as her official pooper scooper. It does the important work of tidying up our outside area after our beloved granddog has done her business. It’s a handy tool that does its job well and is valuable because of it. However, I would never dream of using that same little hand shovel to dish up a casserole for my dinner guests! We can all agree that would be disgusting!
Why then do we think it’s okay to use our mouths to say crude things and then use that same mouth to speak to God in prayer, praise and worship? Despite the current cultural trends in crass language, Scripture says we shouldn’t be participants. The choice is ours. But, if you still think it’s okay, perhaps you’d also like to borrow my doggy shovel to use at your next dinner gathering.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS
Friend, it’s not a pleasant picture to envision ourselves speaking to our holy God with a foul mouth. Let’s ask God to redeem our speech, change our habits and make our mouths instruments of blessings.