September 2018 – Bite Your Tongue
Read Together: “He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.” Proverbs 11:13
The United States government has a branch called the Central Intelligence Agency, better known as the CIA. This agency is responsible for conducting top secret missions of the United States. In order for anyone to become a CIA operative, they must undergo severe testing and training – everything from physical fitness and reaction time to IQ tests. After four weeks of very intensive training, the applicants are unexpectedly tested.
These men and women are captured by those who they believe are the enemy. They are interrogated intensely for days to see if they will reveal the secret of who they are. If they withstand this final test, they officially become a CIA operative. If they reveal their secret, they will never have the opportunity to become an operative. They have proven themselves to be untrustworthy – unable to keep a secret!
Proverbs tells us that a talebearer reveals secrets, but a trustworthy man conceals them. A recruit’s grueling weeks of giving it everything he or she had to become a CIA operative are all in vain if that recruit is unable to keep a secret. Just as a tiny spark can set an entire forest aflame, the book of James reminds, an untrustworthy tongue can spoil an entire friendship or bring intense hurt to a person we love.
Discussion Starters: How do you feel when someone shares a secret with you? Why is it difficult to trust someone who gossips? Who are people you know you can trust? Why?
Lifeline: Ask God to help you think before you speak, to put a guard on your mouth.
Reflections:
Blessings Always, (Numbers 6:24-26)
Rev. Dr. Andrew L. Foster, III.