1 Corinthians 13: 4-5a It(Love) does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonour others.
Tongue is the most versatile muscle of the human body. The tongue functions as an organ that facilitates the movement of food into the digestive organs and assists in chewing and swallowing. The other important functions include speech and taste. Tongue is the sensory organ that helps us to taste the common tastes such as sweet, sour, salty or bitter. The functionality of speech is the most significant in the physiology of the tongue as it has the power to influence those around us. Before touch, the tongue conveys the common emotions of love, joy, fear and anger. The tongue that licks an ice cream can also lash lies and cause emotional damage. “Sometimes you have to decide which will hurt more, biting of your tongue or having your say” – Faydra D Fields.
This is why Paul writes to the church at Colossae, Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Colossians 4:6). The savour of our conversations will determine if it is flavoured with love or tossed with hatred. Our conversations can be salty or sweet, succinct, and poignant or cunning, canny or crude. The tone, tenor and tension in the conversation will convey love or languish, faith or fear, affection or amity. Hence we can conclude the spiritual physiology of the tongue stands above the physical functionalities.
Seasoning our tongue with love:
1. Damp: Tongue is always kept wet, soaked in saliva. Saliva not only helps in the digestion of the food, it also protects our teeth from bacteria and decay. Similarly, our conversations must be moist with the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26). When our conversations are in conformity to the Word of God, brash, brunt or brazen words will never come out of our mouth. A dry tongue is a sign that our entire body is dehydrated. Similarly, a harsh tongue indicates spiritual dryness, dehydration of the soul and perceptive drought (foolishness).
2. Detained: Tongue is imprisoned behind 32 teeth and a pair of tightly sealed lips. Before the tongue gets into tension or action, the jaw muscles must be loosened and the soft pliable structure of the lips must move. Before talking, we must taste-check the words that are going to come out of our mouth. Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends (Proverbs 17:9). Tongue is detained, imprisoned and caged behind the teeth and lips to foster, nurture and speak love and not fester division. .
3. Disciplined: A disciplined tongue is a powerful communicator of genuine, authentic and Godly love. Tongue must be disciplined to speak only what it means and what matters. Proverbs 12:18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. From a disciplined tongue flows streams of love, benevolence and healing. A lying tongue only displays the crookedness, craftiness and cruelty of their heart. Be quick to listen but slow to judge, slow to get angry and give an answer. Tongue testifies our trustworthiness, truthfulness or the turpitude of the heart.
Tame, train and tutor your tongue to be seasoned with love, soaked in the Word of God and succulent with goodness.
Proverbs 15:4 The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for designing my tongue to be a tree of life. Teach me to influence those around me with love, hope and life. Amen
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