Who is master of your tongue?

In Psalm 12, David laments the lack of godly, faithful men. And the one area he focuses on is the tongues of those around him. He said,

Everyone lies to his neighbor;
their flattering lips speak with deception.

May the LORD cut off all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue that says,
“We will triumph with our tongues;
we own our lips — who is our master?” (Psalm 12:2–4)

David then compares the words of his neighbors to the words of the Lord, saying,

The words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver refined in a furnace of clay,
purified seven times. (6)

If we claim Jesus as our Lord, he should also be Lord of our tongues. Is he? Are our words like silver refined in the fire until they’re completely pure as Jesus’ were?

Or do lies, boasting, deception, and slander mark our lips? Do gossip, complaining, and inappropriate jokes flow from our mouths?

Paul wrote,

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

What’s been coming out of your mouth today?