Be careful little mouth

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (NKJV)

There are many jokes about all the words women say in the course of a day. We can chatter on about nothing with a close friend, speak in shorthand with our daughters, or slip in that tidbit of good gossip over lunch. Yet, words last forever…they just hang there for all to hear and remember. In fact, once that story pops out of your mouth there is no taking it back. But more importantly, we want our word to be believed and not discredited or questioned. When we make promises or swear an oath our reputation and integrity are on the line. It reminds me of times in the past when I used to chair meetings. When I called for the vote, an exact tally of ayes and nays gave credibility to my leadership. If there was a miscount or worse, fraud, the whole organization became suspect. I know that a broken promise wounds like no other because it compromises a trust and it takes a long time to regain the previous level of intimacy. In this passage of scripture, there have been some problems in communication in the Corinthian church. Paul wants them to understand that they can count on him because his words are true…that when he says, "yes," that is what he means. We can know that our Father is always there for us, will never betray us, and He keeps our secrets. His "Amen" assures us that we never have to worry that He is going to change His mind or take back His promise…He is our guarantee. I encourage you to be careful with your words so that your "yes" means "yes" to the glory of God. It reminds me of the verse from an old children's song:

Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say

Oh, be careful little mouth, what you say

For the Father up above,

Is looking down in love,

So be careful little

mouth what you say.